The Consequences of Not Trusting God - Part 4

At some time, God will let you make a fool out of yourself when you're walking in flesh. I should have gotten permission to tell this story, but by the time the tape gets there, I can get to my daughters and sweet-talk them, get excused. I've got two daughters married well, wonderful husbands, but a number of years ago before they were married, I told all my children when even they were late teens, I said, you don't ever have to try to scheme or manipulate to find your mate.

I said, all you do is serve the Lord with all your heart, walk in obedience, trust the Lord, walk in His righteousness, and God will cause them to cross your path. They'll be there. Don't manipulate or you're going to get in trouble and you'll wind up marrying a bum.

Those are my very words. One of my daughters in her twenties, the first two or three years of her twenties, had a couple heartbreaks. Some young men that she thought were nice and didn't get along, and she just had some heartbreaks, and she came to me once and said, tell me again, Dad, about this way, you know, just trust God and He'll cross your path.

Tell me about that again. I said, honey, I believe it. I believe with all my heart that if you'll just trust God, don't take matters in your own hand, don't try to make anything happen, God will bring Him.

God's already got Him. God's training Him. Just hold on.

And the next year or so, she met a young man, a nice-looking young fellow. And I'd see him walking, holding hands, and time went by, and I said, honey, does he love you? She said, well, he makes me think he does. He tells me he's very fond of me, and I said, well, it's going awful slow.

And here's a man walking by faith, righteous before, in his righteousness, praying, seeking God and preaching this strong message, and I'm just about to be led into my severe wilderness, I mean famine. God's going to bring me to a test. So, time went on, and I thought to myself, there's going to be a heartbreak.

This kid doesn't know how to make a commitment. He needs some help. In a few weeks, I had to leave for a crusade, some crusades in Europe, and I turned to my daughter, and I said, honey, why don't you and your friend come along to Europe for ten days while I'm preaching crusades, and just fellowship.

He can sleep in my room, and I'll get you and your friend in another room. I don't know if Gwen was there or not, but they agreed. Boy, he jumped at it.

Hurry. Who wouldn't jump at an all-expense trip ten days to... I'm sorry, I've got to tell this. And all you people laughing have done some stupid things just like I've done.

A week before we left, I went out and bought an engagement ring, and on the way to Europe, I managed to put him on the seat next to me. And halfway over the Atlantic, I said, you know, I've seen you've been with my daughter for about six months, and you seem to be very close. And I know she likes you, and Gwen and I like you.

And here I do, I get absolutely in the flesh. I absolutely forgot faith. I abandoned faith completely.

Now I'm walking in... I became a world-class manipulator. This thing in my pocket in a jewel box. And I took it out and put it on my side, and I said, you know, I know you're a student, you don't have much money, and I know you like my daughter.

And I said, I know what's in your heart, and I pulled it out, and I opened it up and said, how do you like that? A full carrot. I got it cheap. He said, wow.

He said, who's that for? He knew I was married. I said, I'll tell you what, we've got two days in London. I'll tell you what I want you to do.

I want you to take my daughter down by Big Ben. The big clock, it's romantic, I'll give you money for a nice meal. Put it on her finger.

He said, what? He looked at me with a funny look. He said, I had no intention of marrying your daughter. He said, she's a wonderful girl.

I have no intention. We're friends. I turned every color of the rainbow.

And I looked at that stupid rock. I closed it, put it in my, you know, first thing I thought, you ungrateful, ungrateful. You're not worthy of my daughter anyhow.

You talk about hurting somebody. I hurt my daughter when she heard about it. Oh, did I hurt her.

I'll tell you what hurt just as bad. For ten days watching that boy eat $50 steaks. He enjoyed it.

He enjoyed every moment I'm sitting there. Thinking, you dummy, you dummy. I had gotten out of God's will.

I got in flesh. You know, I could have messed up two lives. It was dangerous.

We laugh about it. In a way it's awful stupid and funny, but I learned a lesson. I'm not saying I won't have to learn it again.

But I hope it's never that stupid. And sometimes God allows us to get into these messes. That we say, look, I can't handle life.

I can't handle these things. I can't manipulate. I can't do these things.

Lord, I'm going to have to trust you. And he'll literally drive us into his arms that we would trust him and believe him. Hallelujah.

Are you trying to manipulate? Are you trying to make things happen? You're saying, God, I don't see your hand. It's too slow. I guess I've heard wrong.

No, no, no, no. You haven't heard wrong. The just shall live by faith.

Will you stand?