ENGLISH Dante Gebel #836 | A dragon under the bed

Anyone would think that Christians are exempt from anxiety… but that is far from the truth. Many of us not only feel anxious, but we also feel guilty about our anxiety; even though God’s command is for us not to live in a state of anguish thinking of everything -real or imaginary-, that steals our breath and divides our minds. The “Dragons under the bed” only appear when our fears and the power of God do not come into contact. We cannot control the world, but we can entrust it to God. Let us remember that there is a throne that is occupied and our Lord is in control.

[Music]

foreign

[Music]

newschane CNN I remember I interviewed

the actor in Mexican comedian Carlos

viagran and at a certain moment I asked

him how he had been doing during the

quarantine we were in the middle of the

pandemic and he responded with the voice

of his beloved character Kiko he

inflated his cheeks and he said what

pandemic are you talking about then he

said

this is a planned pandemic

and I smiled courteously and continued

with the interview

but as soon as the show finished I

received

an extensive email from Atlanta from the

headquarters of CNN from part of the

directive board and they said

that I shouldn’t have allowed that

Outburst that I should have told the

comedian to retract they’re on the spot

and I said yeah but he’s a comedian and

on top of it all in a democracy everyone

can share their opinions

he was it was the opinion of the man

being interviewed not the interviewer

but they were considering canceling my

show and by Divine Providence they

didn’t do it

and so for The Following episode they

asked me

lovingly that I should invite an expert

on infectology to make it clear that the

virus wasn’t a conspiracy and that

people should take a series of

precautions now I’m not trying to judge

anyone’s values nor would I say

that it’s a it was a conspiracy but I

still keep that email as proof of what

I’m saying that day I discovered

firsthand how impressionable we can be

with news

or with means of communication when they

agree to

publish uh an editorial to the global

population in the case of our

grandparents they needed several days

for news of an earthquake in Nepal to go

around the world we didn’t even realize

it was said that What mattered more to

the common citizen was the law of

proximity what happened here around the

corner on the same block not in the

other on the other side of the world and

in our parents times

we would find out about certain

catastrophes because of the evening news

and sometimes not until we read the

morning newspaper we didn’t know that

for example

a bomb exploded in the Middle East now

everything is a matter of seconds I

remember a few weeks back

you might remember this episode

I was landing at LAX and all of a sudden

I’m not exaggerating the cell phones of

all 250 passengers rank at the same time

with an alert of an imminent hurricane

in California

so the plane landed and it began to go

ding ding ding ding ding ding like Amber

Alerts but it was ding ding ding ding

ding ding and that same Sunday

when the hurricane was supposed to hit

and destroy our homes

that same Sunday Even though three drops

were falling from the sky that would

have made our grandparents laugh our

grandparents would have gone and party

all day but many people didn’t go out

of their homes because the news was

informing them and I’ve seen it the news

said don’t dare to go out into the

street unless

it’s an extreme situation or an

emergency situation so from the

informative news chains

the way they spread fear like in this

case with the hurricane and just a few

hours all supermarkets were empty the

first thing that people go to buy is

toilet paper as if the hurricane

produces diarrhea I don’t know

I don’t understand that

the first thing people do is buy toilet

paper

hurricane diarrhea tsunami diarrhea

earthquake diarrhea I don’t know

the streets of California were

completely deserted and in case someone

wasn’t watching the news then that might

be the case some people say I don’t have

a TV I don’t I’m not connected to the

news well the news reached their phones

and every day that continued and they

continue to warn us about global

calamities about global warming the

possibility of nuclear war about aliens

wildfires hurricanes tornadoes

earthquakes

threats are imported into our lives

through intelligent cell phones

smartphones

smart devices and finally there are days

in which

if you consume all that we don’t feel

like getting out of our bed sheets it’s

as if anxiety

beating us

I was reading according to the National

Institute of Mental Health the

backgrounds of anxiety or the numbers of

anxiety have reached epidemic Heights

epidemic numbers and that’s not resolved

by taking a deep breath even though they

tell us that taking a deep breath is is

done is is a good thing it’s not

resolved by that much less with scented

candles for stress that would be like

going out to war armed with a fork

anxiety is restlessness in the soul that

doesn’t cease it’s uh suspicion

it’s apprehension

someone said it’s life in a smaller tone

but with greater worries it doesn’t go

away it’s chronic

it’s like being perpetually

stood on the or standing on the ledge of

a balcony it’s like a fear of a lower

intensity but it doesn’t allow us to

take a deep breath it’s like a weight on

our soul

in our Christian language we call it an

oppression but more than an oppression I

think it’s a state of of restlessness in

tranquility and it’s not so much about

the storm but a storm that we think is

coming into our lives that’s what

defines anxiety and when there are sunny

days when things start to go well

a small breath

we take it as that’s just the truth

truth an Armistice but I’m sure that

tomorrow things will get worse as they

always do and we feel that we can never

relax that peace is temporary

that peace will have a short duration

and the tragedy always appears to be

around the corner

that it’s just a matter of time

maybe your fears aren’t about tomorrow

or the news but maybe your most profound

fear is in your home and you say can I

really pay off this loan can I can I pay

my rent

will my marriage continue to be stable

or in its defect will my marriage remain

unstable what if or what if this

happened these are the phrases that

torment us what if or what if this

happened and so our greatest fear is

what could happen the threat of what

could happen to us

so fear always circulates eighty percent

of the time fear circulates

in the field of possibility it could

happen maybe the fear fear is that

tyranny of a match of our imagination we

suffer more about what could happen than

what’s actually happening but fear is

always seen through the blurry window of

maybe and so anxiety

and fear they’re cousins but they’re not

identical and you might say all right

it’s it’s fine to be fearful of certain

things because that gives me

uh the Prudence to face life but I say

they’re cousins but they’re not

identical because fear

sees a threat that’s correct

and we take the right precautions But

anxiety imagines the threat it’s not

happening

so those monsters

that aren’t invited they invade our

minds and they don’t let us sleep in

peace there are people that sleep but

don’t rest and they sleep seven eight

hours but they wake up more tired than

when they went to bed because

while their body rests their mind can

never take a break

and I insist these are illogical fears

improbable

inexplicable

and so I would love to ask you you don’t

have to answer out loud but what is your

worst fear

failing in public losing your job

losing your health that your health

becomes fragile fear that you’ll never

get married that you’ll never find your

ideal wife

and one day God will say marry that

Grandma and make her happy

have legitimate worries you say no my

word is legitimate but then it becomes

an obsession

things that could happen

so the line

between prudence

and anxiety is very fine

because prudence and cautiousness

makes us wear our seatbelt on a plane in

a car anxiety makes us not want to get

in a car or on a plane

Prudence tells us wash our hands with

soap anxiety makes you wash them 30

times a day because you say no I think

that this is contaminated and there are

people that wash their hands they touch

the door handle of the bathroom and they

go turn around and wash their hands

again

Prudence makes a save up for our old age

that’s having plans that’s good but

anxiety makes us accumulate trash and

filth and we store all sorts of garbage

there are people that are

compulsive hoarders the day they have to

move

you have to get rid of that landfill by

judicial order because they store

everything just in case Prudence makes

us

where use diving equipment But anxiety

doesn’t allow us to get near the water

and there are a bunch of people

that stay on the edge of life

so who do they consult they consult

anxiety they ignore faith in Psalm 91

13.

the writer mentions three types of

attacks that we will face in life

and what will have victory over he

guarantees Victory he says you will

Tread On The Lion and the cobra

you will tread on the line on the Cobra

you will trample the great Lion and the

dragon so the lion that’s the first

animal that is mentioned by the psalmist

it represents the attacks you expect in

life if we go through the jungle and a

lion appears in front of us statistics

say that we’ll be attacked the lion

doesn’t attack by betrayal he stands in

front of you and with his chest puffed

out like an Argentinian he challenges

you so the package of Life comes with

lions Incorporated already problems that

are already involved so that’s why Peter

says in his first letter first Peter 5 8

be alert and of sober mind your enemy

the devil prowls around like a roaring

lion looking for someone to devour it’s

an expected attack if your mother-in-law

says that she’s coming over on Saturday

to visit her grandchildren that’s

unexpected attack if she announces it on

Monday then you have six days or five or

sorry four days to prepare your defenses

then the psalmist mentions the Cobra the

serpent which symbolizes the unexpected

attack and life always gives you these

a Viper hides under

the bushes or the weeds and attacks when

you least expect it and so life is also

composed of surprise elements an

accident a medical diagnosis a

relationship that breaks An Unexpected

death infidelity you don’t expect that

you don’t plan for that

when you go you don’t

plan when you go to the altar you don’t

plan to be in a divorce court years

later

your mother-in-law visiting this weekend

is an unexpected attack son-in-law I’m

going to visit you that’s an unexpected

attack don’t compare it with a lion

compare it with a serpent

no poor poor serpent

finally

the dragon is a mythological creature

the Hebrews believed that it was a

serpentine creature that lived in the

oceans

and the maps of ancient civilizations

had the figures of dragons and the

unknown Waters back then so much before

Columbus they would Place dragons

on the maps that were Uncharted and so

the dragon represents not the unexpected

nor the expected attack but the imagined

attack

the one that doesn’t exist the unfounded

one but it makes us more fearful than

the rest in this case if you’re single

and you don’t even have a partner and

you’re scared your mother-in-law will

come over this weekend that’s an

unfounded fear

it’s the dragon under our bed close by

an intimate enemy that takes away our

breath

it’s a nefarious fear that something’s

wrong but we don’t know what it is I’m

restless but I don’t know why and it

begins to wrap us up in a dark cloud we

don’t know what comes with that

restlessness I once knew about an

accountant that told his client

what he had been working with he had

already done work with the IRS in other

countries it’s called Hacienda

I already

worked with the IRS and you’re going to

receive a letter

that will detail how much you owe

and he was paralyzed it killed his blood

that’s what we feel when we hear that

we’re going to receive a letter from the

IRS it’s never a Christmas greeting and

when the letter finally arrived he

couldn’t open it

so as he was shaking he put it on his

desk and he left it there for two weeks

he was dying of fear because he said how

much money am I going to oh I don’t even

want to see because where am I going to

get it from

he said I don’t even have the money to

pay for what I oh I’m going to jail and

after 10 days he mustered up the

strength to open up

the letter and you realize there wasn’t

a bill but it was a check for him to

cash it just so happened that the IRS

owed him money I know in other countries

in our countries that’s science fiction

the government doesn’t return anything

they say well you messed up but forget

it

they say they’ll leave credit for your

grandchildren but this happens

if you paid more taxes the IRS returns

it and he had misspent 10 days in fear

and so these dragons don’t deserve the

fear that we sometimes have for them

they don’t deserve it but we’re not

alone

we’re not alone in this battle against

dragons I began to investigate yesterday

and I saw that even those that appear to

have it all celebrities

they confess to have dragons that follow

them it appears that we have a celebrity

here or maybe someone that laughed at

the last joke but no matter what the

case is we all coincide in that there

are dragons that torment us and there’s

an ample amount of phobias let’s

remember Michael Jackson

he had the fear of contamination and

infections and illnesses he slept in a

in an oxygen tank that’s called

misophobia the fear of being

contaminated the fear of a virus that

can be passed on through contact Katy

Perry the singer has nictophobia and

that’s the fear of darkness and so she

always sleeps with the lights on

if someone sleeps with their lights on

you can feel like a celebrity

Nicole Kidman fears butterflies

she’s terrified it’s called lepido

teraphobia she fears butterflies Winona

Ryder Michael Jordan

Will Smith fear the ocean

Will Smith doesn’t fear hitting someone

during the Oscars but he fears oceans

and pools what we know as hydrophobia so

they can’t see water they can’t make

movies where there’s a body of water

nearby Brad Pitt can’t see a shark

not even in a movie without crying

women listen to this those that say oh

Brad Pitt no he’s a coward when he sees

a shark

he has a lacophobia he had to have some

sort of defect

Madonna the Queen of Pop suffers

brontophobia and that’s the fear of

lightning storms

she literally has to turn the lights out

or turn the lights on during lightning

storms because as soon as as soon as he

sees a lightning strike she panics

Scarlett Johansson has hornetophobia

fear of birds and seagulls remember Uma

Thurman from Kill Bill oh well sorry all

the spirituals came in today all the

worldly people come to the second

service

Uma Thurman can’t go through revolving

doors because of her claustrophobia Matt

Damon Salma Hayek

they have ophedophobia we’ll all have

that fear and that’s the fear of snakes

Megan Fox has papyrophobia when she’s

given a piece of paper she can’t touch

the dry paper it’s called pyrophobia she

needs a glass of water to be able to go

through the pages

why didn’t that occur to me when I was a

child studying I should have said Mom

I’m not stubborn I have papyrophobia

Woody Allen is the Lord of phobias he

has phobias without explanation to kids

spiders to the sun hotel rooms small

rooms I was reading that David Beckham

everything has to be symmetrical in his

home and if there’s a twisted frame the

man

even in his moments of professionalism

he couldn’t have gone out to play a game

Jennifer Aniston the great actress from

Friends

can’t go on a plane Kim Basinger has

agoraphobia she can’t see a big crowd of

people that’s why there has to be a

protocol when she goes to the Red Carpet

Events because if she goes close to

people she can’t breathe these are

famous people Kim Kardashian has own

fallophobia the fear of belly buttons

she said while I’m in the shower I

shower with gloves and I yell every time

I touch my belly button

Johnny Depp on top of his new fear of

Amber Heard

it’s called coulrophobia

and all Mortals coincide and so

seraphobia

the fear of mother-in-laws we all have

that phobia

and so what are they they’re dragons

under our bed

it’s an exhibition of mental slavery and

phobias are like the rings of a snake

the more we consider them the stronger

they hold on

and so

people can try to avoid all these things

butterflies sharks Darkness

clowns X’s even belly buttons but there

are other anxieties that are difficult

to avoid the fear of failure of

loneliness rejection these are constant

fears

stuck in our brains and the mind

makes a sort of Bunker or barrier so

that they can’t go out and sometimes

these fears can come

with toxic responses immobilization

paralysis withdrawals passivity

depression with psychosomatic

backgrounds

mental illnesses that don’t need

clinical

diagnosis and so that’s why I always ask

what immobilizes you what makes you say

no no that’s a line I will never cross

what steals your joy

because the enemy can’t steal your

salvation but it can take the joy of

your salvation like David expressed it

he said return my joy I want to recover

my joy of Salvation he can’t steal your

marriage but he can steal the joy of

your marriage he can’t steal your

children but he can take the happiness

of raising those children

so what takes away your rest at night

the capital city of fear the

headquarters is always the future it’s

never something that we can resolve

today it’s what’s beyond us

all the occurrences of our life happen

on two time frames past before and

future because the present is

an

infinitesimal moment that as soon as we

want to grab it it’s passed

it’s a minute ago so before we hold on

to it it’s already in the past but

sometimes we forget that we’re the ones

who live within a within a time capsule

God who created the Time Capsule God

doesn’t live inside of time he lives

outside of time

and the god that lives outside of time

who knows our future who knows our past

obviously he knows our present he says

more than 300 times in the Bible do not

fear it’s a Commandment that is repeated

the most frequently

he says do not fear he said he came to

Proclaim freedom to the captives and

when he spoke about captives he also

spoke about those that for some reason

are prisoners to fear do not fear

I don’t know if you knew this but we all

have

a part of brain tonsils if you didn’t

know you had them you can

now you know

there are two

neurological circuits shaped like

almonds that is like a security system

that comes from birth and thanks to the

brain brain tonsils

we take a step back back onto the

sidewalk when a vehicle speeds by that’s

produced by the brain tonsils

or we see a balls headed to our straight

to our face and we duck so it doesn’t

hit us

or we grab onto the handrail

just as we slip

or we remain silent Saturday morning

when the when your mother-in-law

mother-in-law knocks on the door and you

pretend there’s no one home

so these amygdalas work before

we even know we’re in danger they

stimulate a reaction before we even know

that one is needed and our whole body

reacts so our pupils dilate before

Danger

our vision

augments we breathe quicker our

adrenaline goes up

our blood pressure goes up our heart

rate goes up we have more strength more

blood reaches our system however no one

wants an alarm system in their home

that begins to sound with the gust of

wind or with a dog barking next door

you know there are cars like that

they’re bothersome

because just because somebody walked by

we don’t want that alarm system in our

homes nor do we want them in our homes

but there are seasons where we live with

our mental alarm systems sounding all

the time but there’s no reason they’re

dragons there’s no reason

we see a mole oh it’s cancer it’s surely

cancer

maybe you have to shower more often I

don’t know

don’t touch your belly button like

Kardashian but shower our children

arrive late and we think

or they

they’re not home at the time we thought

they would be and so we immediately

think should we should I call a police

station should I check the morgue

so we can’t live in that maximum

security system thinking that everything

will get worse in the next moment

because that by definition

etymologically speaking is called stress

that’s what stress is

and what comes from stress whoa high

blood pressure

kidney or heart failure

sexual dysfunction we can’t say well God

knows all things

well many people might reach heaven and

God will say I didn’t call you you came

on your own with all the stress you had

I’m surprised you didn’t show up 20

years earlier that’s how it is and so

God created our brains to replenish

themselves

with the same natural tranquilizers

tranquilizers that he gave us from

creation dopamine and serotonin

so they’re like natural tranquilizers

you don’t need to take pills

but anxiety makes it so that our mind

can never restart it can never be calm

it’s like a computer or a cell phone

that never shuts off or what’s worse it

never restarts or recharges

so the mind is always finding something

new to worry about there isn’t oh

anything you’re worrying about now so

you try to worry for others I once heard

the story

of three workers that were painting a

building

a skyrise

a skyscraper a high-rise all of a sudden

one of the three had to go pee so we got

off the scaffolding that they were

working on and went to the restroom a

few minutes after he left the

scaffolding fell and both men fell to

their deaths and the man who went to go

pee couldn’t believe his luck

he had been saved by a matter of seconds

if he hadn’t gotten off then he also

would have been a victim

so it goes home and he tells his wife oh

you don’t know what happened today

the scaffolding the three of us were

working on Fell well why didn’t you die

what happened oh well I got off to pee

thanks to my desire to go pee I saved my

life and the woman was crying and

embraced and she said I can’t believe

God is great but the husband continued

and said well what’s good is that the

company is going to compensate the two

widows with a million dollars each

and the woman said oh yeah but look at

you you just had to go pee didn’t you

that’s finding a problem

it’s a miracle right

and anyone might think

that us Christians are exempt from

anxiety

we say no no I’m a Christian I shouldn’t

have anxiety and we’ve been taught that

Christian Life is continual peace and

when we don’t feel peace we assume that

there’s something wrong within us or

that God left us

or that God took away his favor

so not only do we feel anxious but then

we also feel guilty for feeling anxious

and that’s where the phrase appears oh

you must have done something you must

have done something wrong to lose your

peace

so not only do we feel anxiety but also

the guilt of feeling anxious so we stop

congregating we stop praying because we

feel guilty for feeling that way and

Paul who wasn’t a stranger to this

reality the Apostle says in Philippians

4 6 do not be anxious about anything

to not be anxious about anything Paul

didn’t say oh well be anxious as little

as possible just the reasonable amount

or only worry on Mondays

Paul said I’m not giving any margin for

anxiety don’t be anxious about anything

and many people from my generation

we treat anxiety continually we battle

against it that ghost because it’s in

our belief system

try to remember not people my not just

people my age I’m about 30 years old but

those that are older as well

our mothers

minimized any good news with a good dose

of reality that’s how our mothers were

back then my mother used all sorts of

catastrophic phrases my mother was like

everyone a girl a good mother

controlling

psychopath just like all moms

and when she would say something

Nostradamus was Dora the Explorer and

standing next to her because my mother

rejected happiness as if her heart were

made of Teflon

so for her happiness was always

suspicious

stop laughing like a fool because those

that laugh during the day cry at night

laugh yeah laugh now but I’m going to

hear you cry soon look at the

who would hit us with they don’t even

say that to you

you always made sure we weren’t too too

happy or she would prophesy she would

say hey yeah keep playing keep playing

just you wait until you fall on your

face you’re about to fall you’re gonna

fall huh my your mom’s never wrong

you’re going to fall and sooner or later

it would be fulfilled

or we would find a neighbor my mom would

be walking with me and a neighbor would

say oh Nelly Nelly this child of yours

is so big now he’s enormous yeah you’re

right

the bigger they get the closer I get to

the tomb

so that it would be clear that my

happiness was her death

mom you have no idea how much fun I had

with my friends well enjoy now while you

can because one day when you have kids

you’ll see what it is to suffer

worse than a Pentecostal pastor

good thing Paul wasn’t like my mother

Philippians 4 4 he wrote

him rejoice in the lord always I will

say it again Rejoice then he clarifies

and says

do not be anxious about anything but in

every situation by prayer and petition

with Thanksgiving present your requests

to God

and the peace of God which transcends

all understanding will guard your hearts

and your minds in Christ Jesus

it’s marvelous right

those words those words get us

take us far from the ledge that’s what I

want to share with you the words from

Paul to the Philippians if God’s will

God’s will isn’t for us to live in

anxiety he created us for something

greater than a life of Anguish or a life

that takes our breath that takes our

strength for tomorrow that divides our

mind

Paul’s recipe for Life starts with a

call to Rejoice let’s remember that when

Paul wrote this Paul’s future was as

somber as the cell in which he was in so

when you read his words we think that

this guy was writing from a Beach Resort

in Jamaica

but his letter to the Philippians

doesn’t include any word of complaint

not one

he first uses the imperative present

Rejoice it’s not a suggestion

it’s not a piece of advice it’s an order

rejoice

and if the verbal time wasn’t enough he

eliminates all expiration dates and he

says Rejoice always in the Lord not just

on Sunday Rejoice always it has no

expiration date

and in case the verbal time

and the always

weren’t enough

Paul repeats the instruction he says I

will say it again one of the few times

the Apostle insists on something he says

I will say it again rejoice

and you might say well how can I obey

such great instructions what should I

laugh all the time like a schizophrenic

how are you doing

I can’t be Joker either

no it’s it’s not a call to a feeling

it’s a decision that no matter what

happens we know that God is in control

that God is good that he knows what’s

happening

right

so the conviction always precedes the

conduct I first have to convince myself

of something so that my behavior is

organic

that’s why in each one of the letters or

Epistles Paul first

emphasizes the convictions before

talking about actions

so what’s the conviction well to

understand God’s sovereignty not just

seeing Sovereign God omnipotent god king

of kings

but you have to be convinced that he’s

Sovereign that he’s a king because

that’s vital for our treatment to

anxiety if we feel that we’re

just

a in the wind a victim to the

invisible Powers who knows what’s going

to happen to me in life well of course

you worry that’s the lack of control

anxiety is just a lack of control and

the lack of control originates from Fear

why it is getting on a plane produce so

much fear because all you see is a small

window

you don’t know what the pilot is doing

before 9 11 we could visit the cabin

the Pilot’s cabin but now we can you

have no idea when the plane is moving

you don’t know if the pilot is drinking

a coffee you’re putting on his parachute

but not just a plane

produces a lack of control also a

traffic jam that’s more than enough to

show the theory of anxiety I was reading

that a group of investigators discovered

that a traffic jam triples the

possibility

for a

a heart attack

because a traffic jam is what it’s the

maximum expression of a of the loss of

control there’s the Asian in front of

you the Asian behind you that’s honking

and they give you a pre-hard attack so

the anxiety increases while the

perception of controlled diminishes so

what can we do can we control it all no

who can control everything it’s complete

craziness it’s a fallacy

so are we going to control it all well

let’s see if we can resolve our lives

with this recipe

with this prescription well let’s never

get on the plane without a parachute

let’s never

go to a restaurant unless we take our

own utensils that are already

disinfected let’s never leave our home

without a mask let’s never give our

hearts to anyone so no one can break it

let’s face anxiety by taking control who

can live that way it’s impossible

because security at the end of the day

at the end of the day it’s an imposter a

scammer someone can accumulate Millions

but lose it all in a recession or a poor

investment or spend it on their health

a fan of healthy life can eat just nuts

and vegetables but even then battle

against cancer

that’s why the most stressed out people

are those that obsess over control and

the more they look to control their

homes their Partners their children the

world

the more they realize they can’t

because control isn’t up to us it’s not

for us

from birth it’s not for us and life

gives us a better idea instead of

looking for absolute control let’s give

up control we can’t control the world

but we can entrust god with it we say I

can’t control my children how long can

you control their children up to what

age in what way can you control what

they consume

on their devices what they watch on

their cell phones you can put filters

you can check you can regulate their

hours but there are moments where it

escapes your control especially in these

days

how can you control faithfulness

how can a pastor control the

faithfulness of his sheep

interval I can barely control myself how

can I control you

so this is the message

behind Paul’s advice rejoice in the lord

always what he’s saying is peace

isn’t the absence of problems but the

presence the knowledge of God’s presence

of a sovereign God

Paul was rejoicing in prison what he

said in Philippians 1 12 he says now I

want you to know brothers and sisters

that what has happened to me has

actually served to advance the gospel

what’s more Paul ads

as a result it has become clear

throughout the whole Palace guard and to

everyone else that I am in James for

Christ he said I love it I’m a martyr

and then Paul realizes that one of his

churches was dividing

see sometimes us pastors are so foolish

that we begin to take ownership of

people we say oh this guy wants to take

a few people with him

as if the congregants are like cattle

that you brand

no one has done together branded on

their butt I don’t think

at least I didn’t do it

but sometimes we worry oh they’re

leaving no that’s how we are and Paul

says well those that preach

out of envy and rivalry doesn’t matter

it is true that some preach Christ out

of envy and rivalry

the former preached Christ out of

selfish ambition but what does it matter

the important thing is that in every way

whether the from false motives or true

Christ is preached you know who this

reminds me of Ortiz our founding pastor

and I told you that I once asked him

Juan Carlos why do you invite this guy

to your home he made your life

impossible when he was at the church he

wanted to divide your church and Juan

Carlos would say oh poor guy

it’s just that if I don’t love him who’s

going to love him

you know why I love him because not even

the devil wants him in hell

and so God Reigns sovereignly upon each

detail in the universe Daniel

four or five 435 says he does as he

pleases with the powers of Heaven and

the peoples of the earth no one can hold

back his hand or say to him what have

you done

Isaiah 7 18 adds

in that day the Lord will whistle for

flies from the Nile Delta in Egypt so he

knows the stars and he knows The

Sparrows in our garden

great or small from the army of the U.S

to the ant Army in our patio everything

is under his control

let me tell you a short story during the

13th

Century before Christ Judah

enjoyed a season of Peace in his Nation

thanks to the stable leadership of King

Uzziah

and though the adversaries threatened

all the time Uzziah left them without

War for a period of 52 years

little more than half a century so one

day Uzziah dies

what would happen to judah’s people well

his their president their King their

head of state wasn’t there anymore what

does God say to us what happens when the

script of our lives changes unexpectedly

when Misfortune becomes your neighbor

well the prophet Isaiah gives a

prescription he writes the formula he

says in the year that King Uzziah died

we forget about that we think it’s a

minor detail or we think that maybe he

just wants to place Us in time and space

historically but he’s saying in the year

that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord

high and exalted Seated on a throne and

the train of his robe filled the temple

then he gives a description of the

Angels around

said above him were seraphim each with

six wings

saying holy holy holy as the Lord

Almighty and the whole earth is full of

his glory not just Judah not just El

Salvador not just Mexico not Argentina

the whole Earth is filled with his glory

the whole earth he is Sovereign

Hallelujah who’s there

so uziah’s Throne was empty but God’s

Throne was occupied

God’s answer for anxiety has always been

the same

In Heaven There is a throne that is

occupied how do we forget that people

so when does our anxiety decrease when

our comprehension our conviction that

God is in control when that increases

nothing can happen to you without God

knowing and if God knows it’s going to

happen to you who could stop it

just by arching his brow

God can send a million angels to your

side he doesn’t need advisors he doesn’t

need a cabinet he doesn’t ask anyone he

is the leader of the Armed Forces of

Heaven of the universe so he doesn’t

need to decide according to his Morning

Mood or what side of the bed he wakes up

on so just Fear Can defeat or destroy

our quality of life the quality of life

that you will have is determined by the

amount of fear you have you can live in

poverty in scarcity under a bridge or in

a mansion fear will determine your

quality of life not your economy if not

there wouldn’t be suicides in Beverly

Hills

suicides would only be seen

in low-income neighborhoods

we’re on Skid Row but fear doesn’t

respect zip codes or social status it

always begins in the mind how does Fear

arrive well disguised with its beautiful

suit of Doubt

well what if this happens well what if

my daughter gets married to the wrong

man what if she gets pregnant before

they get married what if she gets

separated what if I get divorced so it’s

like a Trojan that comes into our mind

it’s a doubt what does it do at first

reason tries to push anxiety to leave

reason says no no it can’t be because

this has never happened to us this won’t

happen in my family reason has a small

battle

but when reason isn’t

surrounded by God and we don’t pray we

don’t have communion with God

listen ends up becoming

a well uh an ill-armed infantry Soldier

and so fear does away with our reason

and that’s where these panic attacks

come fear of heights fear of water fear

of belly buttons fear of

fears that don’t make sense because

reason lost the battle Common Sense

already lost the battle and when anxiety

sets up camp

when anxiety takes over the mental camp

without wanting to we end up getting rid

of our last two allies faith and trust

show me someone

who has fear camping around them I’ll

show you someone that has gotten rid of

faith and trust long ago so what else

can we do you might say I’m already in

that situation what can I do well open

up the curtains and expose the fears

because fears are like vampires they

can’t stand light so we have to say all

right all right what’s the worst thing

that could happen this exercise has

always helped me it helps us what’s the

worst that could happen to me really

that’s the worst thing because sometimes

the fear of the worst is not wanting to

think about the worst what’s the worst

oh I’ll be left alone and

you wouldn’t be the first or the last

oh no it’s just my child is going to go

down the wrong path

well I’m not going to Rejoice over that

I’m not saying you should rejoice

but Rejoice despite that that’s what

Paul said that’s the worst you don’t

think God knows that your child will go

through a time of rebellion or don’t you

remember when you were a kid or do you

think your kid came from from

Krypton

no well my times were different no no

your grandma you didn’t sin because of a

lack of resources that’s why that’s it

I wasn’t Holier I didn’t sin because I

didn’t have the resources I didn’t know

where to go to sin

someone would stand up

during the service and they would say

brothers and sisters I fell into sin

at an adult club and we would say where

where give us the details we want to

know where so we can pray for you we had

no clue where to go

when you ask what’s the worst

and that’s where you say devil really

that’s the worst you have then I’m going

to Rejoice if that’s the worst you have

I’m going to Rejoice because greater is

the one with me than all those that want

to Rise Against Me is not the best you

got

they say that

the devil Lucifer once appeared

at the foot of the bed of a minister a

righteous Minister and the minister woke

up and said oh gosh it’s just you devil

I thought it was worse and they went

back to bed he went back to sleep so we

have to get rid of the fears in our mind

we have to make those fears stand before

God and receive their deserved

punishment so what’s a healthy Church a

place where fears come to die where

fears come

to languish

we wound them with scripture we melt

them under confession we say this is my

fear we extinguish them under worship

under seeking the Lord

some see problems and they twist their

hands we see problems when we Bend our

knees

so we have to dare to believe when God

said

and we know that in all things God works

for the good of those who love him oh

thank God I thought you had less Bible

than Hamas glory to God

not too long ago I was on tour and

someone said to me

I will not be defeated like the Bible

says

Luis fonsi 3 16.

so your mind can’t be filled by God and

by fear at the same time that’s where

the Bible says

you will keep in perfect peace not just

any sort of piece with cracks

no perfect piece

those whose minds are steadfast because

they trust in you Isaiah 26 3.

you will give them perfect peace

Jeremiah 17 7 adds but blessed is the

one who trusts

in the Lord whose confidence is in him

they will be like a tree planted by the

water that sends out its roots by the

Stream

and it does not fear when heat comes its

leaves are always green

it has no worries in a year of drought

and never fails to bear fruit

it never stops sparing fruit it always

rejoices in all seasons

I once told you that many years back I

was on tour in Mexico

and to get to certain cities in Mexico

the host

place the helicopter at my disposal

and so we were leaving Mexico City we

were going to a contiguous airport and

another city and we always hired

the same pilot the helicopter’s name was

Tango and the second time I flew with

him we began to feel shots they Place

something over your ears so that the

the noise from the propellers don’t

leave you deaf but you can hear what

happens around outside of the helicopter

we began to hear pop pop

and the pilot said oh my gosh no way

they looked at me and he said this just

got ugly and I said what is it what is

it and they said oh drug dealers oh but

don’t worry they’re not shooting at us I

don’t think

this is for my one of my friends if not

we would be on the ground by now

everything he said to calm me down made

it worse

the intercom and said hey this is tangle

to the tower confirmed to me who are

they shooting at

now I understand

why people buy toilet paper for

hurricanes

and I asked them is everything okay

okay

if you

know

if you worry it’ll be worse and he said

to me a phrase that I don’t know if it’s

good or bad but he meant to say just

relax

he said chill I don’t really know what

he meant but I got I got worse until he

said to me look honestly

we’re not going to face anything I

haven’t faced before this is Mexico my

brother

trust in me enjoy the flight take a deep

breath my friend

you preach and I fly

for whatever reason

I was calm

because it’s as if the guy was going to

escape the bullets and that day

I learned a phrase

that’s not in the Bible but it’s my

totem I have to dedicate myself to what

I do and I have to let God do what he

does

there’s nothing that he hasn’t faced

before right

you know

and the famous lace shops in Brussels

Belgium

there are certain rooms where only the

finest lace is spun with the most

delicate threads and then they go

They’re sent to the greatest Brands and

these rooms are completely dark except

for

small Ray of natural light that comes in

through a window

in the room the spinner sits

that’s how they asked to work that’s how

they asked to spin

that the light of the window illuminates

the design and the spinner remain in the

Darkness

they have to be in the darkness and it’s

very possible that there are seasons in

our lives where God has remained in the

darkness but that doesn’t mean that he

wasn’t spinning

we look for him

we couldn’t find him we couldn’t see him

all we see are the circumstances that

are

spinning around us but we don’t see the

spinner so sometimes those of us that

don’t see the Spinners we ask questions

about the purpose behind this thread

but we can be sure about one thing God

has a design he has a plan

and he hasn’t finished spinning he

hasn’t finished

sewing

when he finishes the lace will be

marvelous God is the one who feeds the

birds The Sparrows

he’s not inventing a plan while he

marches the word says

Daniel 5 21 says the most high God is

Sovereign over all kingdoms on Earth and

sets over them anyone he wishes that’s

what we spoke about last Sunday

God is the only one that can judge

Psalm 75 7 it is God who judges he

brings one down he exalts another

such strong verbs God governs God judges

God does each one of these words

confirms the existence of an architect

the existence of celestial plans and his

plans include us how the lord loves us

how the lord loves you

so as a beloved speaker said fear was

never

never wrote a symphony never wrote a

poem never negotiated a peace treaty

fear never healed an illness no one ever

said thanks to fear I was healed fear

never took a family out of poverty or a

country out of intolerance or a church

out of legalism

fear never saved a marriage fear never

brought a business back up bravery and

Faith did of course they have

this is

so recognizing the threat of saying this

is something that

brings fear and it goes against my

family that’s one thing by making fear

define us now that

we’re not made of that people

people that’s not what we’re made of

we’re not made of fear so that fear can

Define us no fear is a Basic Instinct of

survival as long as it’s within the

geography of reason of rationality but

the dragons under the bed they appear

when God’s power and fear

don’t come into contact when you’ve

never taken that thought to light when

you’ve never opened up the windows and

said God this is my fear as soon as you

communicate with God they’ve melt

there’s no reason to worry that’s why

the psalmist gives us these marvelous

words from Psalm 91 you will not fear

the terror of night nor the arrow that

flies by day

nor the pestilence that stalks in the

Darkness

nor the plague that destroys at midday

a thousand may fall at your side ten

thousand at your right hand but it will

not come near you why do we think

that that’s a lesser psalm

it’s not going to touch you and if it

does what could we do

there’s an hour at which the dragons

need to know that In Heaven There is a

throne that is occupied and that God is

in control yes or no

give an Applause to the King of Kings

and the Lord of lords the king is in the

house

[Music]

Hallelujah when you get on your feet

give a strong Applause strong strong

strong Applause to the King of Kings to

the Lord of lords

how the lord loves you how the lord

loves you how can he not love you how

can he not love you Hallelujah

wow let’s go let’s go give glory to God

even with the dragons under the bed

we love you Lord lift up your hands to

heaven

to all those that are at home those that

are here for the first time Catholics

atheists Orthodox Jews Muslims Mormons

Jehovah’s Witness

no matter what you believe I would love

for you to say Lord come into my heart

forgive my sins

write my name in The Book of Life Lord I

want all anxiety all fear to go away if

you already know the Lord say Lord

forgive me

for not having put my dragons in contact

with you come on come on lift up your

hands and think about the worst that

could happen

cross the border of the imaginary line

of what’s beyond say Lord I realize that

there’s no reason to worry

because if I had to die

where is thy sting o death

oh death where is thy Victory as the

Apostle said if I had to be sick for a

season well then God knows

this body remains and is sustained by

God’s faithfulness and if he says you’ve

come this far then you’ve come this far

maybe you have to go through a season in

the ICU to speak with someone to relate

to someone that you wouldn’t have gotten

to know any other way my children are in

your hands but I give them to you

definitively now you’re more interested

in them being blessed than I am I’m

merely an Earthly mother or father my

spouse is in your hands my congregation

Pastor say my congregation is in your

hands because it’s not mine in reality

it’s a falloutist fallacy to say it’s my

congregation no it’s you’re a

congregation they have put me at the

wheel of

like what Moses said to God it’s your

people God it’s they’re not my people I

don’t plan to go up on the cross for

anyone and those that are here say Lord

I don’t want to be immolated for anyone

so it’s your people because sometimes we

pray as if we add more burdens for the

souls than God himself with prayers have

to say Lord if you love the people who

way I do you would bring him to the

church

but say lord they’re your people it’s

your church I just preach I should just

raise your word

come on lift up your hands and drink

drink those that have the baptism of the

spirit let out tongues

or speaking tongues as a spirit gives

you utterance open up your mouth because

the Lord will fill it with something I

feel that something is happening these

are the last minutes Hallelujah

blessed are you everyone

everyone everyone

lift up your hands lift up your hands

with me and say Lord

oh the glory of the spirit is filling it

all everything Moment by moment moment

by moment it’s the glory of the spirit

you’re at home we’ll stay a couple more

minutes but I’m going to say goodbye to

all those that are on the other side in

Asia Africa America

the Lord has told me to tell you don’t

worry don’t give in

don’t surrender

don’t abandon don’t throw in the towel

there’s so much that the Lord has

invested in you he invested in

Insurrection for you how could he not

love you if he has you sculpted in his

hands how can he not love you

the Lord tells me to tell you don’t give

in fight fight I still don’t hear the

Bell Rocky I still don’t hear the Bell

continue one more round continue don’t

give in whoa don’t give in church don’t

give in

rejoice in the Lord

I insist rejoice in the lord always and

the peace the peace that goes beyond all

understanding that goes beyond reasoning

and rationality and common sense that

peace that can’t be explained in words

the peace that sustains the Widow during

the funeral the peace that holds up

orphans through the night

holds up soldiers during war the peace

that tells the unemployed everything

will be okay I haven’t seen a righteous

man forsaken

the peace that keeps the scene a single

person

knowing that they won’t end up alone

the peace that tells you that everything

is in God’s hands even though the

diagnosis says otherwise God has never

moved from his throne nothing has

escaped him

you’re worth much more than those

sparrows consider the lilies in the

fields they don’t work they don’t spin

but also not even Solomon the greatest

magnate in the entire world with all

this glamor has dressed like one of

these lilies and if God cares for the

lilies

how will he not care for you oh by God I

could live with that message just that

passage I could live with that

Hallelujah God bless you people all over

the world bye firm like a bear claw may

God bless you

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

everybody

[Music]

foreign

[Music]

[Music]

[Music]

foreign

[Music]

[Music]

[Music]

[Applause]

who don’t know

[Applause]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

it is

[Music]

[Applause]

foreign