God, Why Are You Ruining My Life | Jentezen Franklin

0:00 Hello, this is Jensen Franklin, and thank you so much for joining us for this week's podcast. Our goal is to provide you with biblically-based teachings that will challenge, inspire, and equip you to live for Jesus. If you haven't already, I'd love for you to go ahead and subscribe today to this podcast so you can get the latest updates from us, and you don't ever have to miss a new message. Let's go right into the service. Record it at Free Chapel. I believe it's going to bless you today. I want to go to Psalms 141. Let my prayers be set before thee as incense and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. Let my prayer be set before you as incense. Incense.

0:53 I want to preach today on God. Why are you ruining my life? because there are seasons in your Christian walk. I don't know what you came to hear this morning. I'm a faith preacher. I'm a victory preacher. I believe in overcoming, not undergoing all the time. But the truth is, you're going to go through seasons where you say, God, why are you ruining my life? What in the world is going on?

1:32 Incense are a type of prayer in the Old and New Testament. You find it in the book of Revelation, incense on the altar. And they represent the prayers of God's people. In Exodus 30, God gave the dimensions of the tabernacle. And in those dimensions, he also gave the altar of incense. This is interesting. The altar of incense was the last thing the priest would pass through, the high priest, to go into the Holy of Holies behind the curtain where God's presence was. It was necessary that prayers be offered up. You cannot go into God's presence without praise and without prayer. So the incense altar was so orchestrated and commanded by God. The incense that they, what would happen if you've ever been to a Greek Orthodox or a Catholic mass, you might have seen the censers that it's this long bowl that is on chains and they will swing it and it has holes and it's filled with coals, hot coals. and they pour this ingredient that God made up of four, five different things that are mixed, sweet calamus, sweet, as the King James says, sweet calamus, things like cinnamon.

3:00 These smells, they're smells. It's perfume. It's cologne. So funny, this week I had someone come and they were talking to me And I, I, my wife knows anything can distract me so easily. And I really have to focus in. And this man had a lot of cologne on. And I noticed it was a smell I have not smelled in decades. It was Old Spice. I knew it. I knew it. And that's all my mind could think about. I missed almost everything he was saying because my mind was smelling. And it just brought this whole message to me is what triggered was Old Spice. Amen. So I got me some Old Spice too. Amen.

3:53 That I'm preaching on today. But incense were so important because God said they represent prayer and they represent praise. incense dropped into hot coals activated a curling smoke and smell not only was it in the tabernacle but this is so important the priest and the other not the high priest he stayed in the tabernacle but the other priest and they did it in shift sometimes up to 40 on big major sacrifice days they would fill their sensors and they would go out among in the outer court where sacrifices were being made. We think of church and I don't know, we get our little pictures in our mind of the priest on the day of atonement and other sacrifices always had to be offered. The tabernacle was a bloody place. It was a slaughterhouse. The outer court was a slaughterhouse. I don't know any other way to say it. It was cows bellowing, and it was sheep that were being called, and it was people, these high priests pulling a bull down. It took probably 10, 15 men and killing a bull.

5:12 This is not easy. This is filth. This is blood. This is smelling flesh, the smell of fresh blood, not in one animal, but on the day of atonement, thousands of animals. It was a, if you've ever been in a slaughterhouse, you know what I'm talking about. It's a horrible, horrible smell. And all these priests would do, if they didn't do what they were called to do, there would be no forgiveness. There would be no approaching the holy of holies. But around it was moaning and dying and taking a breath and kicking for the last time. And somebody's chasing the animal. And blood's all over the priest. All over his clothes. Soaked in it.

6:04 And not only that, but all of the remains. Everything had to be done in order. And all the remains, the skin, everything. It was on these priests. They sprinkled seven times multiple things. Dripping with blood. It was something we really can't imagine. And you have something in your nose called the olfactor nerve. The olfactor nerve can create hunger, sickness, or nausea and distaste. It is so important that on oil rigs out in the ocean or here on land, They install special sensors because the nerves in your nose that go to your brain, they can be fooled. And they can be put in a place where they can't smell gas.

7:03 And oil drilling is so dangerous that when they make a strike, it kills the olfactor nerve. And you can't smell like you're supposed to smell. And all of a sudden, in the middle of all of this smell, this horrible smell of blood and death and dying and animals screaming out and people, here comes God's inspired substance into that horrible, unbearable smell. and what is it? It's the priest. They would come out swinging sensors of praise, representing praise and prayer, and they would invade the stench that was unbearable. I'm preaching today on how you can bear the unbearable. Nothing had changed. The animals were still there.

8:08 The stench was still there, but it gave, when the sensor came by, it attacked the atmosphere and suddenly, oh, thank God, I can breathe again. I can smell something besides the awfulness of life. Just when you stood all you could, just when you've gone as far as you could go and held your nose as long as you could. and breathe through your mouth as long as you could. Here comes a priest swinging a censer and everything smells sweeter. It's not that it's gone away. It's not that it's still not there. It's just when that censer would be swung, it would make it sweeter. It made it bearable.

9:03 It made them able to get through this process and this butchery that was going on. The incense was a type of prayers. There is a power to prayer and praise. There is a sweetness to prayer and praise. I've been in trials and God wouldn't let them go away like Job. Job's life was horrible for the season that he was in. He lost 10 children in one day, lost his health, lost his wealth, lost everything, and it just kept on coming. But in the midst of it, God can sweeten up things enough that you can bear the unbearable. Now, I'm just going to preach because this is the truth.

9:58 Sometimes all we want is a miracle, but sometimes you pray and you don't get a miracle, but what you can get is you can get the presence of God to come and touch you again and minister to you again and give you peace again and give you just enough. Oh, of a refreshing and a sweetness. There's a sweetness to prayer and praise. It can get you in that place to where I can go out and face the problem again. It doesn't make it go away. Prayer doesn't make everything bad go away.

10:32 Prayer was never promised to make. I'm glad I believe in miracles. I've seen miracles. I've experienced miracles. And I've also seen people die. And I've seen people suffer. And I've seen people go through hell. But what I'm telling you is when you keep on praying and you keep on praising, it sweetens things up and makes the unbearable bearable. So when you say, God, why are you ruining my life? He is committed to you having the image of Christ inside of you. And that includes seasons of suffering and pain and questions and heartache and heartbreak. You will not be immune from that because you're a Christian. As a matter of fact, you may be a target because of it. It's not a sign that you've lost the anointing.

11:26 Sometimes it's a sign that you are anointed. And the devil knows that what's coming is greater than what he can stop. Hallelujah. Take a praise break. Swing a censer. In the middle of pain. In the middle of going through chemo. In the middle of losing a loved one. It's not that the pain goes away. If you've ever buried a child, the pain never goes away. But you can sweeten it up. You get to sing, and oh, it's so sweet to trust in Jesus. just to take him at his word. the blood's not gone, the guts are not gone, the burning hide and hair is not gone, the dry blood, the stench of the day is not gone, but when you pray and you praise, it makes things bearable.

12:19 God will come, he'll send somebody, he'll speak to you through something, some way, somehow, and he sweetens things up. when you understand that, you thank God for something that sweetens everything up. When you've gone as far as you can go, it won't solve all of your problems. Prayer won't, but it'll sweeten up your life. God, I can't tolerate it anymore, somebody's saying. I can't stand it anymore that's why I thank God that he gave me music music has been my go to I play the piano and I play the sax and I sing I sing to the Lord my greatest times are not in here in church my greatest times are along with Jesus my greatest times is when I just sit down at a piano all by myself and just start praising the Lord and I'll sing songs sometimes that I hadn't thought about in 30 years, but it'll just come up.

13:30 And when I do, I catch myself and suddenly it's all sweeter. Sometimes I get tired of y'all, amen. But it gets all sweeter when I get in this presence. Don't wanna preach, but it gets sweeter when I get in this presence. the further they were from the altar of incense, the more things stunk.

13:59 So if all you're doing is griping and complaining and whining, if you're going around looking like the cover girl of the book of Lamentations and sad, and I understand, I understand there are times when you don't need a fake joy and you don't need a fake smile. I get it. you're going through hell. But I'm telling you the truth. I lie not this morning. If you would begin to pray about it and begin to praise and worship Jesus and put on the garment of praise, which says to me, put on a CD. If you don't have it, get it from somebody else. Get some worship going in your spirit. And somewhere in there will come that sweet scent of his presence. and you find yourself riding down the road and it's gonna be all right. I'm gonna make it.

14:52 I can face it. I can go through this. God's gonna give me the strength. The less you pray, the more things stink. The less you pray, the harder it is to tolerate it, to stand it. I can't stand it, to bear it. You can bear it if you will pray and praise. I'll never leave you nor forsake you, Jesus said.

15:20 Prayer does not always get rid of everything. It doesn't eliminate everything bad in your way. It doesn't take it all away. What I'm preaching to you is God will give you strength through prayer. Keep on praying, mama, for that crazy kid. Keep on praying. You're about to hear it. I've got four minutes to preach. I'm going to take all four minutes. you're about to hear story after story after story of people who should have been dead could have been something could have happened but somebody was praying and that parent may not or grandparent may not even been able to ever see it happen in their lifetime but every time they thought about them in the condition they used to be in, I'm sure their heart felt that crushing feeling that every parent feels, but I've learned that if you pray and you keep on worshiping, he'll sweeten things up.

16:23 In a bad marriage, he'll sweeten things up. Well, I prayed and they didn't change. I know, that's the problem. They may never change, but it'll sweeten you up. It'll make you forgive. You know, Brother Tenney told me about a man who had a member in his church that fought him as an old man. And fought him in everything he wanted to do. This pastor tried to build the church, and the man just caused so much trouble. And he finally went on a fast, and he told him, he said, I'm ashamed to admit this, but he said, I prayed three days that God would just take him on to heaven. He said, that was my prayer request on my earth. Kill him, Lord. We can really get on, folks. What do you do when God doesn't kill them? Oh, don't act like you don't.

17:21 You've never had a person in your life that you just, it's not that you want them to go to hell. You really want them to just hurry up and go to heaven. They're the people that will outlive you every time. They'll never leave the church. Never. And so what do you do?

17:41 You're stuck with them. they may never change but prayer will change you pray for those that despitefully use you incense sweetens the air and makes life worth living I close with this but I'm telling you that prayer and praise is God's answer for the unbearable Thank you. I see people every week going through things. I've sat in hospital rooms and watched mothers cradle their baby as it was dying. I've sat in situations with people who have suffered in ways that's hard to describe. The only thing that can get you through some struggles is prayer and praise.

18:45 Watch our example. Jesus used prayer. Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass. Even Jesus, I don't want this. Let the hurt pass. Let the death pass. Let the crushing pass. Let the wounds, let the stripes, the nails, the crown of thorns, the beating on the back, the plucking of the beard. Let it pass, please. Even Jesus, please give me a miracle. I don't want to go through this anymore. God, why are you ruining my life?

19:26 Nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done. if it was God's will it's God's will still today that you and I go through things that we will never get an explanation for on this side of heaven the cup may not be removed, but when you begin to do what Jesus did, he prayed and the Bible said an angel came and strengthened him. And when you pray, he'll sweeten things up. He'll give you the power to bear the unbearable cross that you have to carry in life. Whether it's a child that is in a bad situation, in an addiction, or some form that is crippled and special needs and the miracle's not coming. But you get up under that thing and God sweetens life.

20:29 I think about how that... if you will pray, it'll sweeten up your life. He'll bring you joy. He'll bring you strength. Paul said three times, I said, God, take it away. And God's answer was, my grace is sufficient for you. I'm not. You just keep praying and keep praising. And I'm going to sweeten things up. I'm done with this message, but I just want you to know when you say, I can't change it, but I can live with it by God's grace. Wow. David lost a son and he said, I can't go to that. I can't, I can't get that child back. I'm never getting that child back.

21:24 I can't change what's happening, but I can get through it. And by God's grace, I'll go where he is. Hallelujah. Isn't that powerful? That nothing can separate us from the love of God. That the last thing you have to go through to get into the presence is offering prayer and praise after all you've been through. You're still praying. You're still praising. How many of you have got that testimony? It doesn't make it go away. It'll never go away. It'll never go away. You just have to deal with it. I didn't know this. I didn't know. And in the first service, sitting right over here, the first person, we don't prearrange these.

22:15 I know nothing about these people that are about to get baptized and what they're going to say. But the first person that got in the tank after I just preached a similar, this message, but different in the first service, it always is. And here's a woman going through cancer. She had the joy of the Lord. She's going to chemo.

22:41 And she sat up there with the most beautiful spirit I've seen in a long time. Those of you who were here, you saw it, you heard it. And she with a smile on her face said, the veil basically the veil is thinner the veil is thinner to Jesus when you're in great pain and need the veil is thinner than it has ever been before every time you're suffering and you keep on worshiping the Lord every time you're you're praising and believing even when it didn't turn out and you almost feel like saying God you've ruined my life it'll never be the same again when you offer that incense of worship and praise the veil becomes not just thin, but ripped.

23:39 And you enter into the presence of Jehovah where there's sweetness. Oh, but I'll see them again on the other side. Oh, but nothing can conquer the believer who says where he leads me, I will follow. Sunshine or rain, I will follow. nothing. In all of these things, in all of these things life can hit us with, we are more than conquerors. Give Jesus a mighty, mighty praise. I really want to say thank you for joining us this week. If you haven't already, make sure you click on the subscription button and leave us a review. It helps this podcast reach even more people when you comment, when you give us your feedback.

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