Latest / Marriage Life and More and Bible Study / Trusting God in the Chaos (Bonus Episode) - 315

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Trusting God in the Chaos (Bonus Episode) - 315 · Marriage Life and More and Bible Study

0:07
Daniel Moore: Let's be honest.
0:08
Daniel Moore: Most of us don't struggle with trusting God when everything is going right.
0:12
Daniel Moore: It's when the storm won't let up, when the sky stays dark, and when life feels like it's been stuck on repeat for days, or weeks, or seasons.
0:21
Daniel Moore: That we start asking, God, why?
0:25
Daniel Moore: And if we're really honest, we don't just ask why, we need to know why.
0:30
Daniel Moore: We want a reason, an explanation, something that makes it make sense.
0:35
Daniel Moore: But what if in the middle of your storm God isn't trying to give you a reason?
0:38
Daniel Moore: What if he's trying to give you a revelation?
0:41
Daniel Moore: Well in this week's episode, we're diving into one of the most chaotic, frustrating, and honestly kind of relatable moments in Paul's life.
0:48
Daniel Moore: Shipwrecked, stranded, cold, and then bitten by a snake.
0:54
Daniel Moore: I mean, come on, Paul.
0:56
Daniel Moore: At some point you gotta be like, really, Lord?
0:58
Daniel Moore: We're still doing this?
1:00
Daniel Moore: It's like when you finally fix one problem and another one shows up five minutes later.
1:05
Daniel Moore: Like your kid's being extra nice out of nowhere and you're thinking, alright, what do you want?
1:10
Daniel Moore: Yeah, those are Malta moments.
1:13
Daniel Moore: But buried in all the chaos is a powerful truth.
1:16
Daniel Moore: Sometimes what feels like a stepback is actually divine positioning.
1:20
Daniel Moore: Sometimes the storm wasn't sent to destroy you, it was sent to deliver you somewhere you never planned to go.
1:26
Daniel Moore: And the question isn't always, why did this happen?
1:30
Daniel Moore: But what am I going to do while I'm here?
1:34
Daniel Moore: So whether you feel stuck, shipwrecked, but you're straight up bitten by life lately, this episode is for you.
1:41
Daniel Moore: Welcome to Marriage Life and More.
1:50
Daniel Moore: This is a podcast about marriage, Bible, and book studies, and we interview people that have inspiring stories.
1:55
Daniel Moore: I'm Daniel Moore, your host, and this week, my beautiful co-host Michelle is sick.
2:01
Daniel Moore: So you're stuck with me.
2:03
Daniel Moore: But thank you guys for joining us this week.
2:05
Daniel Moore: If you're not familiar with our show, check out our website at marriagelifeandmore.com.
2:09
Daniel Moore: Our platforms or YouTube and Rumble links are there.
2:11
Daniel Moore: We're also on the Christian Podcasting app Edifi, and we're also on your Alexa and Google Smart Devices.
2:16
Daniel Moore: You can also visit us on social on Facebook, Instagram, and X at CTGAP Online.
2:21
Daniel Moore: And if you're a fan of our show, please subscribe.
2:24
Daniel Moore: Feel free to leave a comment on our platforms, give us a thumbs up or five-star review on Apple Podcast, and we'd be thankful to you for doing that.
2:32
Daniel Moore: Well, as I said, my wife Michelle is sick this week, and we have not been able to record an episode.
2:39
Daniel Moore: And I thought maybe she might be getting a little better, but then just when we thought that, it got worse.
2:44
Daniel Moore: And I guess maybe today's episode might actually relate to some of that of what she's going through right now.
2:49
Daniel Moore: But be saying a prayer for her.
2:51
Daniel Moore: Hopefully, she'll be getting on the mend here and getting back into shape.
2:55
Daniel Moore: And hopefully, next week we'll be back together again and we will continue our series at that point on marriage as a mission.
3:03
Daniel Moore: So this week we're going to take a little bit of a break from that series for that reason.
3:07
Daniel Moore: And I'm going to give you guys a special episode.
3:09
Daniel Moore: And this episode does have to do with marriage in some ways.
3:13
Daniel Moore: Sometimes when we are walking our married life with our spouses, everything just doesn't go the way we want it to sometimes.
3:21
Daniel Moore: And sometimes we feel like we're just stuck out on an island, and that island can be called Malta.
3:26
Daniel Moore: We're going to talk about that this week.
3:28
Daniel Moore: First of all, though, I'm going to be doing a book signing at a bookstore in Webb City, Missouri on May the 9th.
3:35
Daniel Moore: It'll be from 1 to 3 p.m.
3:37
Daniel Moore: on that Saturday afternoon.
3:39
Daniel Moore: If any of you live close that listen to me here on the podcast with Connecting the Gap, or you listen to us on Marriage Life and more, I'd love to meet you guys if you're a regular listener, or if you haven't got a copy of our book yet, please come in.
3:53
Daniel Moore: I've got uh all my books I'll have there, and we'll be doing a book signing.
3:57
Daniel Moore: And I would love to see you guys and just be able to meet you and talk face to face.
4:03
Daniel Moore: So put that on your calendar.
4:05
Daniel Moore: That is May 9th from 1 to 3 p.m.
4:07
Daniel Moore: at Somewhere in Time Bookstore in Webb City, Missouri, is where it's going to be taking place.
4:13
Daniel Moore: And I hope to see you there.
4:15
Daniel Moore: Well, this week, as I said, I'm going to do a special episode for you guys, kind of old school style.
4:21
Daniel Moore: Back when I first started this podcast, I used to do a lot of little Bible study type episodes, and we're going to do another one this week.
4:29
Daniel Moore: And this one this week is titled Trusting God in the Chaos.
4:34
Daniel Moore: When a crisis occurs, often our first reaction is to question God and ask why it had to happen.
4:55
Daniel Moore: But what if there's a better way to respond?
4:57
Daniel Moore: Sometimes the right response to a situation is often more important than learning the reasons behind it.
5:04
Daniel Moore: This is a discussion about faith and fear.
5:07
Daniel Moore: In Acts chapter 27, verse 20, Paul is in the middle of a miracle, but he's also in the middle of a mistake.
5:14
Daniel Moore: And sometimes the two are the same thing.
5:17
Daniel Moore: That's about perspective.
5:19
Daniel Moore: The Bible says in Acts 27, 20, when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and the storm continued raging.
5:28
Daniel Moore: Because it was one of those things that wouldn't let up.
5:32
Daniel Moore: It was not the kind of trial that you go through and just go through it.
5:35
Daniel Moore: It's like when you don't see any end in sight.
5:38
Daniel Moore: It was that kind of thing.
5:41
Daniel Moore: So what happened was they lost all their hope, and they quit believing that they could be saved, that it could be different, and that they could be delivered.
5:49
Daniel Moore: And right at the time that they started to let go of their hope, God spoke to Paul in a powerful way.
5:55
Daniel Moore: And of course, Paul was that great missionary who took the gospel to the Gentiles, so it was a good thing for them that he was on board.
6:02
Daniel Moore: So the Bible says as it continues in Acts twenty seven, twenty one, after they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said, Men, you should have taken my advice not to sell from Crete, and then you would have spared yourself this damage and loss.
6:16
Daniel Moore: But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost, only the ship will be destroyed.
6:23
Daniel Moore: Here's how I know.
6:24
Daniel Moore: Last night an angel of the Lord to whom I belong, and whom I serve, stood beside me, and said, Do not be afraid, Paul, you must stand trial before Caesar.
6:35
Daniel Moore: So, in other words, you can't go down in this battle because I got a bigger one ahead of you.
6:41
Daniel Moore: As the ripture continues, and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sell with you.
6:47
Daniel Moore: twenty five, so keep up your courage, men, for I have faith that it will happen, just as he told me.
6:55
Daniel Moore: Nevertheless, you know, we must run aground on some island, but it will happen.
7:02
Daniel Moore: Because Paul, as spiritual as he is, is apparently not above telling someone, I told you so.
7:08
Daniel Moore: Because he had warned the sailors who were on this ship that was headed to Rome, they were trying to get to Italy, and Paul was on there for preaching the gospel.
7:15
Daniel Moore: He didn't do anything wrong.
7:17
Daniel Moore: But sometimes the reason that you go through things isn't because of something wrong that you did.
7:22
Daniel Moore: Even as a Christian, sometimes the things you go through are directly connected to something you did right.
7:29
Daniel Moore: And you can't always know the reason, and that's kind of difficult for me really.
7:34
Daniel Moore: I always want to know the reason, and I feel like I'm really good at dealing with resistance if I know the reason for it.
7:41
Daniel Moore: Even with people, I'm kind of skeptical.
7:45
Daniel Moore: I don't always take people at face value for what they say that they want in a relationship, and I probably shouldn't be so paranoid.
7:53
Daniel Moore: I mean my beautiful wife Michelle, she tells me I should trust people more, but I think she should trust people less.
7:59
Daniel Moore: So we just balance each other out.
8:01
Daniel Moore: I really do think you should trust people less because people will say that they want to be your friend for this reason, and sometimes there's a deeper reason.
8:10
Daniel Moore: I know I can't go through life living like that.
8:12
Daniel Moore: You should assume the best about people and all of that, but sometimes I get in situations where I'm like, hmm, you know, I really wonder what that real reason is.
8:22
Daniel Moore: Like even with my kids, you know, if my kids, if they're too nice to me, you know, if they hold me a little too tight or if they come running a little too fast, well, I know there's a reason behind that affection and there's a want.
8:35
Daniel Moore: So I hear Paul.
8:37
Daniel Moore: He's on a ship that he doesn't believe he rightfully belongs on, taken a prisoner for a crime that he didn't commit, and being accused of things that he didn't do.
8:47
Daniel Moore: And I hear when he's talking.
8:49
Daniel Moore: I kind of hear two things.
8:51
Daniel Moore: I hear faith, it will happen, and I hear frustration, this didn't have to happen.
8:58
Daniel Moore: And I hear both of those things.
9:00
Daniel Moore: He says, if you would have taken my advice, you would have spared yourself this damage and loss.
9:07
Daniel Moore: In other words, the reason we're about to wreck is because of a decision that you made.
9:13
Daniel Moore: But if we stay too long in the reason, we're going to drown.
9:16
Daniel Moore: Because what matters at some point is you have to try getting past to figure out why it happened.
9:22
Daniel Moore: And this is difficult for those of us who want to know a reason.
9:26
Daniel Moore: When I am talking to someone and maybe they've gone through a loss or a tragedy, and I say, I would like to pray with you, there's a temptation for me to try to give them a reason for why it happened.
9:38
Daniel Moore: I always feel compelled to give them a reason, you know, like God is going to use this for good.
9:43
Daniel Moore: You know, Romans 8 28 and Jeremiah 29 11.
9:47
Daniel Moore: Every little coffee cup verse that I could spin out at them just as fast as I could, you know, there's a reason for that.
9:53
Daniel Moore: And I realize that at some point during giving people reasons, sometimes people don't need a reason when they're in the middle of a storm.
10:01
Daniel Moore: They just need a reassurance that God's not going to leave them alone in it.
10:05
Daniel Moore: So when someone that you love is suffering, don't be so quick to give them a reason.
10:11
Daniel Moore: Don't be so quick to point your finger.
10:13
Daniel Moore: People don't need a reason when they're going through a great trial.
10:17
Daniel Moore: What they need is someone to reassure them that God is with you.
10:22
Daniel Moore: And so am I.
10:23
Daniel Moore: So here's Paul standing in the middle of a storm, and the reason it is happening is because of their dumb decision.
10:30
Daniel Moore: Have you ever had to go through a storm because of somebody else's dumb decision?
10:35
Daniel Moore: I mean, Paul says if we would have done it this way, because not everything that happens to you happened because God wanted it to happen to you, and certainly not everything that happens to you happens because the devil did it.
10:48
Daniel Moore: Because if the devil did it, then God had to allow it.
10:52
Daniel Moore: I think sometimes, you know, we get the wrong word.
10:55
Daniel Moore: Sometimes because I think they both start with the letter D, we get confused.
11:00
Daniel Moore: Sometimes it's not the devil, it's a decision.
11:04
Daniel Moore: So Paul says this didn't have to happen like this.
11:08
Daniel Moore: And those are the hardest for me.
11:10
Daniel Moore: Really, the hardest for me is when I feel like this was avoidable, and when I feel like I could have avoided it, but yet it's inevitable, and I go through it anyway.
11:19
Daniel Moore: I no longer try to figure out whether God did it or if the devil did it, because it has to pass through the same hands before it gets to me.
11:28
Daniel Moore: And I've read enough of the Bible to know that God will use other people's bad decisions to get me to my destiny.
11:35
Daniel Moore: I've seen enough play out to know that Joseph, at the end of his life, was only able to look at his brothers and say, Don't even worry about it, because you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.
11:49
Daniel Moore: So which one is it?
11:52
Daniel Moore: Evil or good?
11:53
Daniel Moore: Well, it was both.
11:55
Daniel Moore: I mean, why can't it be both?
11:58
Daniel Moore: Why can't it be an attack from the devil that God used and put to good usage and repurpose in order to accomplish something?
12:05
Daniel Moore: I mean, that's what Paul is saying.
12:07
Daniel Moore: It didn't have to happen.
12:10
Daniel Moore: I don't want you to blame this on God.
12:12
Daniel Moore: We could have avoided this.
12:14
Daniel Moore: You didn't have to date them.
12:16
Daniel Moore: Your mom told you they were crazy, and you wouldn't listen to anybody.
12:21
Daniel Moore: But if we stay stuck in the reason, we're gonna miss the revelation.
12:26
Daniel Moore: Paul says, you know, there's a reason this happened, and it could have been avoided.
12:31
Daniel Moore: But last night while the storm was raging, last night I was all alone, and God showed up and reminded me that his purpose is still intact, even if the ship goes down.
12:43
Daniel Moore: It had to happen.
12:45
Daniel Moore: And God doesn't tell Paul a whole series of explanations, he doesn't give him a reason, he gives him a revelation.
12:54
Daniel Moore: Revelation is more powerful than reason.
12:58
Daniel Moore: You can't fight the devil with a reason because sometimes you don't know the reason.
13:03
Daniel Moore: Sometimes you have to go back to who God showed you that he was.
13:07
Daniel Moore: And God is very tactical in this, so he will create a situation for a revelation.
13:12
Daniel Moore: So he will let Lazarus die, and he loves Lazarus, and when they tell him that Lazarus died, he'll say, I'm glad it happened.
13:21
Daniel Moore: Jesus actually said, I'm glad he died.
13:25
Daniel Moore: Why?
13:26
Daniel Moore: Because now we've got a situation, and the situation is what enables the revelation.
13:33
Daniel Moore: It's not just true because it rhymes, it's true because it's true.
13:38
Daniel Moore: Up until this point, they knew him as healer.
13:41
Daniel Moore: Now they needed to know him as resurrection.
13:45
Daniel Moore: And so he said, I'm glad it went wrong.
13:47
Daniel Moore: I'm glad it went poorly.
13:49
Daniel Moore: Paul said we must run aground on some island.
13:52
Daniel Moore: And sometimes when you ask God for a reason, he will bypass the reason and give you a revelation.
13:59
Daniel Moore: You still belong to me.
14:01
Daniel Moore: You're still my child.
14:03
Daniel Moore: You know, I don't operate by reason.
14:06
Daniel Moore: If I operate by reason, sometimes I'll be up, sometimes I'll be down.
14:11
Daniel Moore: I operate by revelation.
14:13
Daniel Moore: I know he is good and he does good.
14:16
Daniel Moore: I know he's with me and I know he's for me.
14:20
Daniel Moore: I know he'll never leave me nor forsake me.
14:23
Daniel Moore: That's my revelation.
14:25
Daniel Moore: So when you get in trouble, you don't need a reason, you need a revelation.
14:30
Daniel Moore: Now sometimes I'd tell my kids to do something and they would say, Why?
14:35
Daniel Moore: As in saying, I'll do it if you tell me the reason.
14:39
Daniel Moore: It's like they were saying, We're not the kind of person who can just do something without knowing the reason.
14:45
Daniel Moore: Did you ever see The Simpsons when Homer grabbed Bart around the neck?
14:49
Daniel Moore: And I know I probably couldn't do that when they said I need a reason.
14:53
Daniel Moore: And I looked back at them and the only thing that came to me was I looked at them and the spirit of Star Wars came on me and I said, I am your father.
15:02
Daniel Moore: You kids don't need a reason to do it.
15:05
Daniel Moore: You need a revelation of who I am.
15:08
Daniel Moore: Well, Paul says we're going to make it, but the boat isn't.
15:13
Daniel Moore: The boat has to break.
15:15
Daniel Moore: But we're going to make it.
15:16
Daniel Moore: We will suffer loss, but we will not lose what's most important, and that's the promise.
15:22
Daniel Moore: You know what's amazing about this story?
15:25
Daniel Moore: It happened just like Paul said it would.
15:27
Daniel Moore: And they all got to shore.
15:29
Daniel Moore: And they got to that island.
15:31
Daniel Moore: In Acts 28 1, and when they got there, the Bible says, Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta.
15:40
Daniel Moore: The word Malta means refuge.
15:44
Daniel Moore: So the grace of God does not always prevent the consequence, but it gives you a place to land.
15:49
Daniel Moore: So we must run aground on some island.
15:52
Daniel Moore: And when we got there, we found out the island was called Malta.
15:56
Daniel Moore: And it must be a relief now that we're no longer on these open seas, because they spent weeks thrashing around wondering if they'd ever see dry land again.
16:05
Daniel Moore: And then they get to the place.
16:07
Daniel Moore: In verse two it says, The islanders showed us unusual kindness.
16:11
Daniel Moore: Well, the islanders, that's a kind term.
16:15
Daniel Moore: The actual word that is used here from Luke, who wrote the book of Acts, is barbarians.
16:21
Daniel Moore: He called them that because they didn't speak his language.
16:24
Daniel Moore: Malta is an unfamiliar place.
16:27
Daniel Moore: They built the fire and welcomed us, all because it was raining and cold.
16:33
Daniel Moore: Now imagine this.
16:34
Daniel Moore: Let's empathize with Paul for a minute, because he survived a shipwreck, only to shiver in the cold of an unfamiliar island and an unfamiliar language, and he survived.
16:46
Daniel Moore: But now the place where he is is unfamiliar to him.
16:50
Daniel Moore: I mention that because many times in my life I have found myself on Malta.
16:56
Daniel Moore: Have you ever been to Malta?
16:59
Daniel Moore: If you look on a map where Malta is, that's where the wind blew him around for like several weeks.
17:07
Daniel Moore: That's Malta, where they landed.
17:10
Daniel Moore: There's a little tiny island called Malta.
17:13
Daniel Moore: It's very, very tiny, very, very small.
17:16
Daniel Moore: That's where Paul was going.
17:18
Daniel Moore: He was going to Rome, and that's where the wind blew him was Malta.
17:22
Daniel Moore: That's where Paul had always wanted to visit Rome when he would stand trial for Caesar and be used as God's great spokesman, the most powerful place in the world in his day.
17:32
Daniel Moore: Well, have you ever ended up somewhere you never planned on being?
17:36
Daniel Moore: Have you ever been to Malta?
17:39
Daniel Moore: Malta is the place that you didn't plan on staying.
17:42
Daniel Moore: Malta is the season you didn't plan on experiencing.
17:47
Daniel Moore: Malta is that layoff that you didn't see coming.
17:50
Daniel Moore: Malta is the relationship that you didn't see ending.
17:54
Daniel Moore: Malta is the emotional place that you never thought you'd experience.
17:59
Daniel Moore: You saw other people depressed.
18:01
Daniel Moore: You never thought you'd be depressed.
18:03
Daniel Moore: You saw other people's kids act crazy.
18:06
Daniel Moore: You thought yours would act right.
18:08
Daniel Moore: Malta is that place where you're twenty-eight and single.
18:12
Daniel Moore: Malta is that place where someone who was there for you is no longer there for you.
18:18
Daniel Moore: Have you ever been to Malta?
18:20
Daniel Moore: What is somebody as important as Paul doing somewhere as small as Malta?
18:26
Daniel Moore: Well, let's find out.
18:28
Daniel Moore: The Bible says that Paul got to Malta and survived the shipwreck.
18:32
Daniel Moore: Have you ever survived anything?
18:34
Daniel Moore: You ever gave up hope, and just when you gave up hope, hope didn't give up on you and grabbed hold of you in the depths?
18:42
Daniel Moore: The Bible says that those islanders were so kind to the prisoners, 276 of them in all, that they built them a fire.
18:50
Daniel Moore: And Paul was such a good dude, he decided to help.
18:53
Daniel Moore: So they're building a fire, and Paul grabs a piece of wood, and there in verse three it says he gathered a pile of brushwood, and as he put it on the fire trying to help, a snake came out.
19:04
Daniel Moore: So let's go back now to everything that's happened to Paul.
19:09
Daniel Moore: He's imprisoned for preaching the gospel, he's shipwrecked because the sailors are too stupid to follow his advice.
19:15
Daniel Moore: Now he's cold on Malta, he's stuck and standing, shivering in the cold, uncertain in an unfamiliar place, and just as he thinks he's made it to safety and the fire is starting to get warm, he gets struck by a snake.
19:30
Daniel Moore: I mean at this point, this story's almost comical.
19:33
Daniel Moore: Unless you've been there, just when you thought the fight was going to be over, here comes something else.
19:39
Daniel Moore: And this snake pops up out of the fire that Paul was simply trying to build them on an island called Malta, where he never even planned to go.
19:48
Daniel Moore: And the Bible says it fastened itself onto his hand.
19:52
Daniel Moore: This thing bit down on Paul, and watch what the people did.
19:56
Daniel Moore: I mean you gotta be careful about people because when that happens, people will always assign a reason to why you're going through what you're going through.
20:05
Daniel Moore: They'll say, Well, if I were her husband, I would have left too.
20:09
Daniel Moore: I mean, people will say stuff like that to you.
20:12
Daniel Moore: Not to you.
20:13
Daniel Moore: I mean, they they never say it to you, they just think it about you.
20:16
Daniel Moore: They think that the reason bad things happened to you is because of something that you did.
20:21
Daniel Moore: Well, the islanders, they're watching this guy who's got a snake on his hand who just came crawling out of the sea with some seaweed around his ears, and he claims to be a preacher, he claims to be a servant of God.
20:32
Daniel Moore: And so if you're a servant of God, why isn't God protecting you?
20:37
Daniel Moore: Has the devil tried to convince you lately that if you really had a God you wouldn't be going through what you're going through?
20:43
Daniel Moore: So they stood back, and when they saw the snake hanging from his hand, which means it was there for a minute, when they saw the snake hanging from his hand, they drew their own conclusions.
20:54
Daniel Moore: He must have done something wrong.
20:56
Daniel Moore: In Acts 28, 4 it says he must be a murderer, he must be out of the will of God.
21:02
Daniel Moore: For though he escaped the sea, the goddess justice has not allowed him to live.
21:07
Daniel Moore: And I love the next verse because Paul preached one of the most powerful sermons in the New Testament.
21:14
Daniel Moore: When Paul saw them looking and he knew he had a captive audience, verse 5 says that when Paul saw them looking, he said, and this may not be in your Bible.
21:24
Daniel Moore: I'm reading from the TSV, the Taylor Swift version, he said, players are gonna play, play, play.
21:31
Daniel Moore: Come on, y'all.
21:32
Daniel Moore: We got to go back to 2014 for a minute.
21:34
Daniel Moore: Haters gonna hate, hate, hate.
21:36
Daniel Moore: You know, five times that's a quintuplet in the New Testament.
21:39
Daniel Moore: Heartbreaker's gonna break, break.
21:41
Daniel Moore: Okay, so we get the point here.
21:42
Daniel Moore: I'm not a Taylor Swift fan.
21:45
Daniel Moore: Paul's response that's the next word that we want to talk about is response.
21:50
Daniel Moore: He didn't say a word.
21:52
Daniel Moore: He didn't try to convince them that God was with him.
21:55
Daniel Moore: He didn't feel sorry for himself, he didn't go on Facebook and write a response.
21:59
Daniel Moore: John's post.
22:00
Daniel Moore: I mean, watch what he did.
22:02
Daniel Moore: He did what you've got to learn how to do when you make it through the storm and all hell breaks loose on the shore.
22:09
Daniel Moore: When they talk about you, when it looks like this is the end, when you've been through it and it keeps coming.
22:17
Daniel Moore: The Bible says shake it off.
22:20
Daniel Moore: Shake it off right now before it gets in your system.
22:24
Daniel Moore: Shake it off right now before it kills you.
22:27
Daniel Moore: Shake it off right now while they're standing around watching.
22:30
Daniel Moore: You've got to shake it off.
22:32
Daniel Moore: You don't take a vote from the island committee to see whether or not they think God is with you.
22:37
Daniel Moore: No, Paul said I got a revelation.
22:40
Daniel Moore: God already told me I'm going to Rome, so I can't die on this island.
22:44
Daniel Moore: I already know he'll never leave me or forsake me.
22:47
Daniel Moore: I already know I'm more than a conqueror.
22:49
Daniel Moore: I already know.
22:50
Daniel Moore: So if I'm going to Rome, I can't die on Malta.
22:54
Daniel Moore: So when the snake fell off of Paul's hand and died in the fire, it wasn't a surprise to him.
23:00
Daniel Moore: He knew it had to happen.
23:02
Daniel Moore: He had to survive.
23:03
Daniel Moore: He had to make it.
23:05
Daniel Moore: He had to go through it.
23:06
Daniel Moore: He had to get through it.
23:08
Daniel Moore: God had to prove his power.
23:11
Daniel Moore: For everybody who's been wondering why you've been stuck on the Y land, you know what I'm saying?
23:17
Daniel Moore: You've been so busy trying to figure out a reason, and God is trying to give you a revelation.
23:23
Daniel Moore: Not just you, but everybody that's watching you.
23:27
Daniel Moore: God wants everybody to see you shake it off.
23:30
Daniel Moore: God wants everybody around you to see you trust in him, though he slay you.
23:35
Daniel Moore: That's why the snake had to bite him.
23:37
Daniel Moore: Because faith doesn't prevent me from getting bit.
23:40
Daniel Moore: Faith doesn't prevent me from washing up on shore.
23:44
Daniel Moore: What I love about it is that after Paul shook the snake off, the people stood back and watched to see what was going to happen next.
23:52
Daniel Moore: Because that's just what people do.
23:54
Daniel Moore: They don't bring you an ice pack or an aspirin.
23:56
Daniel Moore: They will stand there and watch you.
23:58
Daniel Moore: The Bible says that they were shocked because they expected him to swell up.
24:03
Daniel Moore: You know, you got some people that are surprised that you made it, and they're surprised that you're still happy.
24:09
Daniel Moore: You know, they thought when they broke your heart you were going to quit.
24:13
Daniel Moore: But look at you in church, worshiping God, serving God, and believing God.
24:18
Daniel Moore: So they're like, oh, let's see what happens next.
24:22
Daniel Moore: So they waited a long time, and when they saw that he didn't swell up or turn into a walker, they changed their mind.
24:30
Daniel Moore: This is why you cannot put your confidence in people.
24:33
Daniel Moore: They changed their minds and said, He's a god.
24:37
Daniel Moore: One minute he's a murderer, now he's a god.
24:40
Daniel Moore: One minute Hosanna, the next minute crucify him.
24:44
Daniel Moore: That's why your response cannot be to people.
24:47
Daniel Moore: And I'll show you one more thing.
24:50
Daniel Moore: So he shakes off the snake, they think he's gonna die, but he doesn't die, and this is a cool place to end the discussion, I think, but I want to give you something that will maybe help you.
25:00
Daniel Moore: Is there anybody listening who's found yourself in Malta recently?
25:04
Daniel Moore: It could be a season, it could be a multiple reasons.
25:08
Daniel Moore: It's that stuck place.
25:10
Daniel Moore: I think these are the kinds of questions, the generic questions that people like to ask because we know that it's guaranteed to get a hundred percent participation.
25:19
Daniel Moore: I mean, who doesn't feel stuck from time to time?
25:22
Daniel Moore: That's kind of the point, isn't it?
25:24
Daniel Moore: Isn't that what we all must go through on Malta?
25:28
Daniel Moore: And Paul at this point in the story has a decision to make misery or mission.
25:34
Daniel Moore: Because we already read that it was rainy and cold, we already read that it was unfamiliar.
25:40
Daniel Moore: We already read that the man almost died, and now he has a decision to make, and so do you about this season in your life.
25:48
Daniel Moore: Paul didn't decide to go to Malta, but now he has to decide what to do while he's there.
25:54
Daniel Moore: He can sit and wait to get off this stupid island, or he can do in Malta what he did in Jerusalem.
26:01
Daniel Moore: So Paul, they think he's a god now, so they're like, hey, this guy's important.
26:07
Daniel Moore: And apparently the chief of the island hears about it, and he wants to have dinner with this guy who can survive a snake bite.
26:14
Daniel Moore: So the next lesson, your opportunities in life will be the byproduct of adversity that you go through.
26:21
Daniel Moore: And Paul gets invited to the home of the official on the island because he was able to stand up under trial.
26:27
Daniel Moore: You know, we keep praying for the opportunity, but we don't want to stand up under the adversity.
26:33
Daniel Moore: So it had to happen.
26:36
Daniel Moore: You know, I had to go through something.
26:38
Daniel Moore: I had to prove perseverance.
26:40
Daniel Moore: That's the only way my faith would grow to enable the opportunity.
26:44
Daniel Moore: Well, in verse 7 it says, So there was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius.
26:49
Daniel Moore: And, you know, this guy, he's important, and he wants to see the guy who was able to stand up after the snake bite and survive the shipwrecked.
26:57
Daniel Moore: So the scripture continues, and he welcomed all of them into the home and showed generous hospitality for three days.
27:04
Daniel Moore: And I imagine in Paul's thinking, this is nice, but at some point during Paul's stay, he learns that Publius has a problem.
27:14
Daniel Moore: And Publius's problem is about to become Paul's opportunity, because Publius's father was sick in bed with the Malta fever, and it's bad.
27:24
Daniel Moore: He's got temperatures and dysentery, and Paul, when he heard about it, went into seam.
27:29
Daniel Moore: Now the way I picture it, and you know, maybe I'm using too much of my imagination, but I imagine that they're sitting down to a mill and Paul sees somebody wheeled into the room and says, Who's that?
27:41
Daniel Moore: And Publius says, It's my dad.
27:44
Daniel Moore: And Paul says, Well, what's wrong with him?
27:47
Daniel Moore: And Publius says, Well, he's sick, and there's nothing we can do about it.
27:52
Daniel Moore: Well imagine about right here is where Paul started smiling, which seems kind of weird, but maybe this is the moment that Paul realizes there was a reason I went through the storm.
28:04
Daniel Moore: There was a reason that that hurricane hit.
28:07
Daniel Moore: There was a reason that the ship had to break apart, and there was a reason that he had to run aground on Malta.
28:15
Daniel Moore: Paul said, Can I seem?
28:18
Daniel Moore: Can we have a moment?
28:19
Daniel Moore: And the Bible says that when Paul went in to seem, he prayed for him.
28:24
Daniel Moore: And Paul put his hand on Publius dad's head, and when he put his hand on his head, the Bible says he was healed, which is a miracle all in its own.
28:33
Daniel Moore: But what made it even more amazing to me was to realize that the same hand that the healing came through was the same hand that had a snake hanging from it just three days ago.
28:44
Daniel Moore: You know, my brother one time bit my sister.
28:48
Daniel Moore: She went to tell my mom, hey, Stephen just bit me.
28:52
Daniel Moore: She said, Did you bite him back?
28:55
Daniel Moore: My sister said, Well no.
28:57
Daniel Moore: My mom said, Well go upstairs and tell your brother, you can bite me again if you want to, but mom said to tell you if you bite me, I'll bite you back.
29:07
Daniel Moore: Now that might not be good parenting, but we need to tell the devil, I bite back.
29:13
Daniel Moore: The same hand that the snake bit became the same hand that the healing came from.
29:19
Daniel Moore: You know what did you go through that you wish you wouldn't have gone through, that you never should have gone through?
29:25
Daniel Moore: Well Jesus came to declare over your life, it does not matter the reason, what matters is your response.
29:32
Daniel Moore: You're on Malta now, and Malta is what you make of it.
29:37
Daniel Moore: The Bible says after he laid his hands on that man's head, word got around the whole island, this guy's got something.
29:45
Daniel Moore: This guy knows somebody.
29:47
Daniel Moore: When he put his hand on the father's head, the Bible said the whole island came, and all of a sudden now Publius had to turn his house into a church building, and the whole island got healed.
29:59
Daniel Moore: It had to happen.
30:01
Daniel Moore: The final word we discussed this week is release.
30:04
Daniel Moore: It's about the release.
30:06
Daniel Moore: When Paul was going through the storm, he said we must run aground on some island.
30:11
Daniel Moore: It had to happen.
30:12
Daniel Moore: Paul thought he needed Malta, but it turns out Malta needed Paul.
30:18
Daniel Moore: There's a purpose for it.
30:20
Daniel Moore: We don't need a reason.
30:21
Daniel Moore: We got a revelation.
30:23
Daniel Moore: God is with us.
30:25
Daniel Moore: He is good.
30:26
Daniel Moore: He does good.
30:28
Daniel Moore: It had to happen.
30:30
Daniel Moore: I'm not saying God did it, I'm saying he'll use it now.
30:34
Daniel Moore: So what are you gonna do on Malta?
30:37
Daniel Moore: That small place.
30:39
Daniel Moore: You've been working your rear off and feel like nobody appreciates you.
30:44
Daniel Moore: That's your Malta.
30:45
Daniel Moore: You've been praying for a ring and you can't even get a text back.
30:49
Daniel Moore: That could be your Malta.
30:51
Daniel Moore: You know, I never wanted to be on Malta, but Paul said, Now that I'm here, who can I heal?
30:59
Daniel Moore: Matter of fact, y'all got any more snakes?
31:02
Daniel Moore: I wish another snake would bite me because if that much power can come from the pain, who else can we heal through prayer?
31:08
Daniel Moore: And while they were getting ready for a wreck, God was positioning them for a revival.
31:15
Daniel Moore: This is the mistake that turned into a miracle, that then turned into a mission.
31:20
Daniel Moore: And God wants us to know today, who are spending time in Malta right now, God wants you to know that your supply is in your assignment.
31:28
Daniel Moore: Paul could have sat there on Malta moping about what he went through on the Adriatic Sea, but he turned into a mission and the whole island got healed.
31:38
Daniel Moore: Maybe what you went through wasn't even about you.
31:41
Daniel Moore: Maybe it's generational.
31:42
Daniel Moore: You know that's what a friend of mine told his dad before he died.
31:46
Daniel Moore: He said, I know your life was hard, I know it was a living hell, I know your father abused you, I know you had to suffer through many things, but you broke it.
31:56
Daniel Moore: You broke it.
31:58
Daniel Moore: It had to happen.
31:59
Daniel Moore: You had to go through it so I wouldn't have to, so I could breathe, so I can stand.
32:06
Daniel Moore: You know, sometimes it's not about us.
32:09
Daniel Moore: Paul decided to bite back.
32:12
Daniel Moore: With his hand still swollen from the snake bite, suck that poison out and turn it into power.
32:18
Daniel Moore: I'm bit, but I'm not bitter.
32:21
Daniel Moore: What you go through makes you who you are.
32:23
Daniel Moore: Realize that healing is in your hands.
32:26
Daniel Moore: God brought you to Malta, and when you're in the middle of the storm, it seems like there's often no sense of guidance.
32:33
Daniel Moore: And when your boat is being blown around and you have no control over it, it's a scary thing to be out on the Mediterranean Sea with nothing to look at for light.
32:42
Daniel Moore: And to arrive at a cold place only to be met by the sting of a viper.
32:47
Daniel Moore: We've been there before in our own life, but it had to happen.
32:51
Daniel Moore: Because while the wind was controlling the boat, God was controlling the wind.
32:56
Daniel Moore: I'm not saying that he did it, but if God allowed it, we can accept it.
33:02
Daniel Moore: If you can accept it, the very place where you were injured will be at the very place that your purpose comes forth from.
33:09
Daniel Moore: It had to happen.
33:11
Daniel Moore: Even the mistakes had to happen because God needed us here in Malta right now.
33:17
Daniel Moore: It's a shift in perspective from all of us that have perceived ourselves as stuck on Malta.
33:23
Daniel Moore: It's a paradigm shift.
33:25
Daniel Moore: We're not stuck, we're stationed.
33:28
Daniel Moore: There is an assignment on Malta with your name on it.
33:32
Daniel Moore: So even if they did it, God's gonna use it.
33:36
Daniel Moore: This is my Malta.
33:38
Daniel Moore: The Bible says in verse 10 that when they were ready, when the assignment was completed, they honored us in many ways.
33:46
Daniel Moore: And when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies that we needed.
33:51
Daniel Moore: God said, if you'll do what I put you there to do, I will give you what you need for where I'm taking you.
33:58
Daniel Moore: Once again, thanks for sticking with me to this episode.
34:21
Daniel Moore: Michelle hopes we'll be back next week and we can get back to our series on marriage as a mission.
34:26
Daniel Moore: Please subscribe and share these episodes to people that might want to hear that.
34:30
Daniel Moore: You can visit our website at marriagelifeandmore.com to learn everything about our ministry and to reach out to us if you'd like to talk to us here about anything here at Marriage Life and More.
34:43
Daniel Moore: Well, as a wrap up this week, here's the truth that we've been building toward this entire episode.
34:49
Daniel Moore: You don't always get a reason, but you can always walk in revelation.
34:54
Daniel Moore: Paul never got a full explanation for the storm, the shipwreck, or even the snake bite.
34:59
Daniel Moore: But what he did get was a reminder.
35:02
Daniel Moore: God's purpose was still intact.
35:05
Daniel Moore: And sometimes that's the only thing you need to hold on to.
35:08
Daniel Moore: When life doesn't make sense, when it feels avoidable, when it feels unfair, you anchor yourself not in what you can explain, but what it God has already revealed.
35:19
Daniel Moore: And maybe that's where some of you are right now.
35:22
Daniel Moore: You're on Malta.
35:23
Daniel Moore: It's not where you plan to be, it's uncomfortable, unfamiliar, and if you're honest, a little disappointing.
35:30
Daniel Moore: But you're not stuck, you're stationed.
35:34
Daniel Moore: There is an assignment in this season.
35:36
Daniel Moore: There are people connected to your pain, purpose attached to your pressure, and power that can come from what tried to poison you.
35:44
Daniel Moore: The same hand that got bit can still be the hand that God uses to bring healing if you don't let bitterness take root.
35:52
Daniel Moore: So don't waste your Malta moment trying to figure out why it happened.
35:56
Daniel Moore: Use it.
35:57
Daniel Moore: Shake off what tried to attach itself to you.
36:00
Daniel Moore: Refuse to let other people define your situation and step into what God is doing right here.
36:06
Daniel Moore: Even if it looks like nothing like what you expected.
36:10
Daniel Moore: Because if God said you're going to Rome, then Malta can't kill you.
36:14
Daniel Moore: It can only prepare you.
36:16
Daniel Moore: And when your assignment is complete, God will supply everything you need for where you're going next.
36:22
Daniel Moore: You don't need a reason, you've got a revelation.
36:26
Daniel Moore: And that revelation is this God is with you, God is for you, and He will use everything, even this, for His glory, and you're good.
36:37
Daniel Moore: Well, that's all for this week.
36:39
Daniel Moore: And we pray as you go that your marriage is stronger and your walk with God is closer after this episode.
36:45
Daniel Moore: This is an extension of Connecting the Gap Ministries, and we pray that you have a blessed week.