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Sermon feed from Apostolics of Anderson in Anderson, Missouri, USA.

The Philistines worshipped Dagon and are proving to be a problem for the Israelites. In chapter four, we saw Eli died when he heard that the Ark of the Covenant had been taken in battle. The Philistines took it to one of the five cities, Ashdod. The five cities are: Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron. In the minds of the Philistines, they were placing the God of the conquered people at the feet of their god, Dagon.

When someone hurts us, we naturally want to strike back. When someone does evil against us, our natural instinct is to seek revenge. However, God doesn’t want us to live in the natural but in the supernatural.

Have you ever felt like you stood out from the rest? Disciples of Jesus Christ are supposed to be deviations from the norm. We’re supposed to mess up the world as it is, draw outside the lines, and think outside the box. So, the world sees us as ‘abnormal’ - and we are! Our wisdom doesn’t mesh with the world’s wisdom because we are wise in the customs, culture and value system of the world that is to come.

All too often we look for the blessings of God, but God requires an offering placed on an altar. An altar is a place of death! God Wants a Sacrifice! Those who will serve Him, will be accepted, and will hold a joy unspeakable!

Our world seems to be in a state of disarray. We have woke ideological beliefs being promoted throughout the educational system. We have gender confusion running rampant. We have a very contentious political race being run. And belief in God is at an all time low.

The house of the wicked shall be overthrown: but the tabernacle of the upright shall flourish. Proverbs 14:11 KJV God sees the big picture. He sees the end from the beginning. Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: Isaiah 46:10 KJV Not only does God know the end from the beginning, He orchestrates the big picture.

There had been many times when the Jewish elite wanted to arrest Jesus. Those attempts failed because the hour was not yet. Jesus’ time had not yet come. Then the leaders tried to arrest him; but no one laid a hand on him, because his time had not yet come. John 7:30 NLT But in chapter 13, Jesus’ time had come. It was the perfect time! Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end. John 13:1 NLT

Every one of us has a battle to face. It is a decision we all have to make. Proverbs says, The heart knoweth his own bitterness; and a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy. Proverbs 14:10 KJV James tells us how to face trials. Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. James 1:2-3 NLT