Chaos and confusion are not God's will for your life. Proverbs 4:18 says that "the path of the righteous gets brighter and brighter." In this talk, gain an understanding of God's desire to help bring as sense of clarity to your life.
Chaos and confusion are not God's will for your life. Proverbs 4:18 says that "the path of the righteous gets brighter and brighter." In this talk, gain an understanding of God's desire to help bring as sense of clarity to your life.
speaker 0: 0:00
I'm Josh Hallmark, and I want to thank you for listening to one of the oaks podcasts. Remember this message from Isaiah? Chapter 61 God takes the seeds of Brokenness and turns them in the hopes of righteousness. And that's anyway. Listen, I'm introducing a new Siri's here. That's what we just did. And the Siri's is called clarity. Living above the haze. There's this term. Have you ever heard the term? Sure, we have the fog of war, and it's actually this thing that basically what I imagine for some reason in my mind when I think about the fog of war, as I think of the Civil War, because it was very mean. There was some advanced weaponry, but it was also very primitive in terms of, and there's just like this cloud of chaos in battle. And I think sometimes in life we feel that way and the term fog of war. Really. It speaks to this, um, level of uncertainty that happens in the midst of battling. You know, we're all fighting a battle, if you will. We haven't adversary, the Bible says, and our adversaries not flesh and blood, by the way. But it's It's the dead. What's Principalities? Powers, rulers of darkness and spiritual wickedness in high places is what the Bible says. And so if we have an adversary, there is there is a war that we are in. You might not have known that. You know, it's funny, our weapons or not, like the weapons of warfare that people fight terrorists with our weapons are spiritual. The Bible says that pulling down strongholds, casting down every thought and imagination that exalts itself against the knowledge of Christ. So that kind of stuff that we were doing today is actually warfare. You know, we're casting down thoughts. We're casting down things that exalt them, exalt themselves above the knowledge of Christ above. What's true, That's lives, you know, we're casting. That was, Did you guys just know you're doing battle anyway? We're in a battle, his life and, um, and so sometimes we get in this place where things just seem foggy and and so this Siri's is going to be kind of hitting things that will help us toe live above the fog of war, if you will, because that's not God's wheel for us to just be in the midst of chaos. You guys remember? Oh, no. I started preaching. Stop. Okay, I'm really Well, I'm really just wanting to just introduce this. And, um, he says one thing, though when God created the world, the Bible says the spirit of God hovered over the waters. Well, all the ancients, they believe that when the world was created that it came out of this primordial water that there's this this water that things sort of came from They don't think of something from nothing like their mindset was different than ours. Their mindset was that it came from this water, but not. And the water was chaos. It was uncertainty. And the Bible says that the spirit of God moved over the waters. And it says the water's were void and without form. And the the Hebrew words there are toe who and Bo who and what they mean are dark and chaotic. Can you say confusion? They were dark and chaotic, but the Bible says that the spirit of God moved over the waters. Right? And what did he start doing? He started making light. He started it, created the the light cycle, the moon. He started creating order is basically what he started doing and out of the chaos he created order and life. So that which was dark and chaotic, became orderly and life giving. Isn't that amazing? So basically, this is what I think with writer of Genesis. When he was riding this, it was not so much, uh, he was not trying. I don't think he was trying toe unpacked like one of our biology books on the origin of Species under that think it's a very short passage. But I think what it was doing. It was a communicating on idea that the God the one God is bigger than all the uncertainty and chaos and and the stories that were told about how creation happened. Our God, of course, he made it all from nothing. But he he is, I think, the the theological hoof in Genesis. Chapter one is that God is big and he is masterful. And the beauty for this talk, at least, is that he brings order in life over that which is uncertain and chaotic. And so that's got. What I'm saying is God's wheel in your life is that that's the order of things. Is that God takes the uncertainty in the chaos of our lives and he brings clarity and order a man. So we're gonna live above the haze. And here's the verse I was shared earlier It's his problems for 18 says this The path of the righteous is like the morning sun is shining ever brighter. Can you say brighter? Not darker, right. Brighter, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked or the path of the wicked is like deep darkness. They do not know what makes them stumble. And so, um, here's the deal. We were righteous and we want to walk the path of the righteous. So I'm believing for you that your way is gonna become clear and clear. Um, last and I gotta yesterday to go hunting And ah, so we were trying to get all the way on the other side of weed alley from here, um, before daylight and we did. And Alicia said, It's so neat to see the sun come up. Lashes says, Um uh, he's like that. Look at the stars. I saw shooting stars, and so we we transition that whole time. But as it gets. You know, when you're sitting in a tree stand, it's dark and then it gets the sun comes up and then before you know, it's like full on like by 10 a.m. Although you know all the sun is shining and it's it's pretty and the birds are chirping. The squirrels have kind already got out and going back, and it's just it's really neat. But the thing about it is, the sun brings more, more light, right? And so that's what this versus saying is that it's like the morning shining. But then it gets brighter to the full light of day. And so that's what God's will is for us is. First of all now, confusion was the top today we're gonna go through a couple different things in this talk. We're going to talk about having a mission and focus in our lives. Um, but, um, but confusion is basic is a basic strategy of the enemy to slow you down and to try to get you to hesitate. Basically, what the devil wants to do is he wants to keep you from walking in faith, and he wants you to walk in hesitancy. He wants you to be unsure of your every move. And, um, this talk was inspired by this little booklet that I have by Rick Joyner called Overcoming the Spirit of Confusion. And I've landed out a couple of times that ended back up my hands and I was reading it. And one thing that he says in this book is the devil will try to bring confusion into your life, especially in areas where their relationships that are important to your destiny. Here's what happened. Say husband, why they start experiencing, uh, confusion. I don't know what's going on there. When I got married, you know, the first couple years of our marriage, Ginger and I were trying to decide who was gonna win, and ah, and so you know, So there's a battle, right? And we're and we're you know, And so the Lord, that was not, uh, the Lord was trying to teach me to lay down my life in the diet of myself, and I was saying, Live flesh live. And anyway, it creates confusion and the way Jesus treats his churches. He laid down his life for And so anyway, um, it was a source of confusion. But what happens oftentimes say somebody has an area of their life where there's no confusion or where they're more competent, say like their their job or their work or what they do is they start removing themselves from that relationship where there's confusion and they just invest themselves mawr into the area where the they have control and where they feel more confident. But we don't want to miss that. We don't God's not his wheels. Not that we walking and confusion in like that area I'm talking about with marriage. Just because there's confusion there doesn't mean it's not got the wheel. It was God's will when you said I do a man and so anyway. But that s o confusion is a basic. It's a basic device that enemy, a weapon formed against you that the enemy will try to use to separate you from your destiny. But just say this when we say confusion, you have no place in my life and that cold just to see it is Oh, this is not God's wheel. This is not what he wants from a So what I had here. There's it. God is not the author of confusion, right? And so what I was shared with the earlier is is this is that there's basically sources of confusion, our life and solutions. And here just to make this in a nutshell. Because I'm really good. I want to give you this Justin abridged version of This Is This. The devil is complicated, or at least he's puffed up. He likes to act like he's complicated and he likes to complicate things. And I know you guys don't get me wrong. Problems in our life and in our world are very complex. Okay, but just because the problems are very complex does not always mean that the solution has to become place. I'm not saying that there is definitely place for God to give us wisdom with complicated issues. That's not what I'm saying, but I am saying, Let me just bring Let's don't globalize it. Let's bring about your life in my life. Sometimes it feels really complicated the mess that we're in, but often times it's very simple to get out of the mess that we're in. And, um, and so anyway, looking at this verse again, let me just say one source of confusion or life is compromised and things seem to get so complicated. What about this one about this? And what about this? But But the answer is there is simplicity in And let me just share versatility. Paul said, I'm afraid this, but I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his craft is basically the devil came in. God gave clear directives very clear. Don't eat this free. Every other thing you can eat wide open buffet. Okay, Literally. You can have it all. We said that one thing, right? And I'm very clear. Don't do that. And the devil came in. And what was a very clear directive from God's word? Don't do that because I'm looking out for you. The devils are Is the Lord really looking out for his crackers? He begins to con veloute the picture and what happens is as we leave ultimately stands and Adam sins And what the devil will do is things that are very clear that we should do. We should obey. Christ, We should, um we should, uh, not have sex outside of marriage. And we should be faithful Teoh who were married to, um we shouldn't get drunk. Um, we shouldn't steal. We shouldn't lie. Don't use God's name is a cuss word tied. There's all kinds of things that a real real clear, I would say in the Scriptures, Um, and then we tend to convoluted them, and often, and some things are There's question about some things and there's space for questions. But here's the thing. Our questions that we ask God should be questions about how we can obey, not questions, about how we can disobey, because sometimes our questions, because there are things you know. There's like lots of different the nominations and stuff because they see things differently. But at the bottom of the heart of it should be that our questions and God loves our questions. But our questions should be okay, Lord, how can I obey you? And how can I be more likely like you? Because that's bring us on the path of Rajan's. If we're just looking for the loophole and that our life is continuing, I do that sometimes. You know, they have a story I'd love to tell you, but I'm gonna move on. Um, it's no this story about me having a repent horror on her Disney tree. It was tryingto any Hawkins is too short for some of the lines that were you tryto anyway. It's silly. It's silly. Um uh, Nevertheless, if we if we find all listen, I'm entrepreneurial, I'm creative. I always trying to see the other angle. But there is a problem. We're on Lee trying to figure out how to get out of something with the Lord that that takes us all the simplicity. See, that's what the debt, the debt was kind of going on that path. Did God really say he's really not looking out for you? But Paul says, Listen, I don't want you to be led a stray from the simplicity and the purity of devotion. So most of our lives, problems and the complexity of our issues can be solved by something very, very simple. And it's a simple devotion. It's the first command love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength. Just if you guys you don't have to know like demonology, you don't have to know what the principality is that's covering our area. All this kind of stuff that some people go very deep into. I'm not, so I'm not trying to dissolve that. But I am trying to say the Onley thing that you really need to know is Am I loving God and am I loving my neighbor? Things can be complicated. I'm not saying that and I'm not saying there's room, but I'm saying When things get all swirly, just come back to simplicity. Oh, Lord, I want to obey. I want to trust you. I wanna love other people like that. Hey, man, it just has a way of de cluttering all the things that cleverest it helps lift us out of the haze. The next one source is the fear of man. And here's what the Bible says. The fear of man becomes a snare. But who so ever trust in the Lord will be set on high? I think this is so cool for this talk, because the fear that we're young artist scenarios people what they would do. The traps of snares like a hoop. It's like a circle with a loop in it. You step in or a deer say it's going through a trail and the snare gets around its neck. And what happens when it pulls tighter? The snare gets till checks. So that is basically anyway. The fear of man gets tighter and tighter around your neck. The more you, the more you're reacting from it. But who so ever trust in the Lord will be set on high? And this is what I love Read it like this The fear, the fear of people becomes a snare of confusion in our lives. But this is my version. But whoever trusting literally set on high we get We get our head above the water of that confusion above the head, you get above the fog. So, um and so was the antidote for fear. Well, it's love and we can already prayed about that. Talked about that love of God. And I think there's a place for the fear of the Lord to what I was talking about early But ultimately, love cast out fear when I started receiving God's love into my heart this whole father heart message that we teach a lot in here. When I started receiving God's love, I started being less afraid of people and afraid of what, like it cleared up. I wasn't trying to do that. I was not trying to be less afraid of people unless insecure. That was not. My goal was to be listen secure. But when I received God's love and started understand that he liked me, he loved me. I wasn't as were it just It just happened. Amen. Now it's not like I'm still in process and so so are we all. But when we receive God's love were much less threatened by other people on what they think a man last one is worry. There's no other fear. The last one a source is worry. I think we went there already. Um, I just want to give you a verse, though that you can use trust is the solution right? And here's here's a verse I called on the Lord in my distress In my confusion in my anxiety, in the horror wind of my life I called upon the Lord and he answered me and he set me in a large place again. I'm just thinking, Oh, mountaintop I'm up. My head is above the cloud of dust The confusion And I just believe this for you guys, as you trust the Lord. So what is somebody just just completely, uh, did something you that shouldn't have done and left you just in a in a in a puddle of mess. This is a promise for you that in your distress, if you will just trust the Lord that he will lift you in a high place in a large place in a spacious place. Hey, man, how will you? All right, I'm done. How is that? That's pretty fast. Sermon, huh? I want you guys have a little context for what we were praying through. The is basically what we were doing. This is so so you're aware of what we were doing. We were renouncing in distancing ourselves from those sources, saying, No, I don't want open myself up to those things and we repent of them and announce it so easy. You guys, it's not complicated. It got its so good. The devil's convoluted everything's all were gods. So simple. Now got Here's the thing Goddess so smart that things seem simple. You know, there's actually read article about this before. Um, at some point that there is our read something, you know, there's complexity, but the smarter you get, the more you're ableto communicate things in simpler terms and God is the most complex personal universe, but he's giving some simple answers. Hey, Jesus. Can you sum up all the commands? Yeah, I love God. And the 2nd 1 similar that love people. Hey, man, this is gonna take care of. For more information about the opus, visit the oaks dot org. Thanks for listening.