Public speaking at Parkway Fellowship
Description
Vocal Characteristics
Language
EnglishVoice Age
Young Adult (18-35)Accents
North American (General)Transcript
Note: Transcripts are generated using speech recognition software and may contain errors.
I'm terry McGuire connections pastor at Parkway fellowships North Katie location, we pray that you are uplifted and encouraged by the truth of God's word. You are about to hear and apply it to your daily life. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at connections at parkway fellowship dot com. Hello everybody. My name is devin Morrison, I am in 11th grade and I go to Katy high school when I was a kid. There were some things in my life, I wanted to change my life was like a hostage situation and I had demands. Number one I wanted to change my bedtime because 7 30 just wasn't really working for me. Number two, I wanted to choose what I chose what I wear to school. My mom thought she knew what she was doing but she wasn't an elementary, she didn't know what was trending at the time and number three I wanted to choose what I ate which meant that vegetables and brussels sprouts were off the table. There was something else that I wanted that I knew I would have to have a higher power give to me superpowers. There was no one in this room right now who can say they were a kid and didn't want superpowers and if you do then you're just flat out lying and it was around this time of superpower glory when I was beginning to be introduced to the concept of God from what I understood he was someone who you pray to and he gave you what you wanted. So I thought I had everything on the list checked higher power check my awesome body check, wanting to save others check. So I prayed and nothing happened. I prayed for weeks and weeks on end and kept getting met with the same result of nothing. So I stopped praying fast forward. Now I'm in middle school, I was bullied almost every day and I was going through that awkward phase when asked what to do about it, I was told to pray so I did. But this time, not only was I met with disappointment, I was angry too, I was angry at everybody and everything around me. I was angry at my parents, the church, the school myself, even angry at God. That's when all these thoughts started flooding my head. Like why does he listen to everybody else but me, he let he answers everybody else's prayers. Why doesn't he answer mine? Is he mad at me too? The bible has something to say about prayer in relation to being angry. First timothy chapter two verse eight says this therefore I want the men everywhere to pray lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing. But that's just it. I was angry, so angry in fact that I didn't want to be a christ follower anymore. What's the point in following a god who promises to answer you? But he doesn't. So I stopped praying for a second time this time I thought for good. Now I'm in high school, some better friends and some better experiences. And I can vividly remember ninth grade summer camp. I don't know how or why, but prayer was brought up and what I thought about it. I kind of laughed and I told everyone in the room don't do it, it's not worth it, you're just wasting your time. And of course I was met with the typical response of yes, you should pray. It's good, it builds your relationship. But then isn't that the definition of insanity doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results? So I left that camp with the same empty crushing feeling I had when I got there and the same questions maybe had it been explained to me a little better or I asked the questions that needed to be asked, I wouldn't have gone down the route I did, but I'm kind of glad I did. And it wasn't until very recently when my whole mindset on prayer was shifted. We were at small group and we were allowed to ask questions we wanted answered. And so I asked why does it feel like God doesn't answer your prayers and the answer I got couldn't have been any better. He does. It's just sometimes the answer is no. So then I was like okay, but why would he give me things that he knows I can't handle. And then when I asked for help, he gonna tell me no, that's ridiculous. Isaiah 41 10 says this do not fear for I am with you. Do not be dismayed for I am your God, I will strengthen and help you and I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. God is gonna give you stuff you can't handle. But he's never gonna not be there for you or give you a way out. But I understand it's hard, you know, for example, you have a family member in the hospital who is so sick, you don't think they're gonna make it out and yeah, everyone around you can tell you to pray and pray and pray, but they're not there. They don't see the pain and sometimes anguish that that family member is going through, but is at that time right there where you don't think you can go on anymore is the most critical time to pray. Don't make the same mistake I did. I spent years of my life being angry at him angry at everyone around me because he didn't give me what I wanted and I get it. I mean, I want what I want, but God already has your future planned out for you. If what you pray for is something that you don't you want. But you don't need, the answer is going to be no, I mean, now look at me, I'm a respectable young adult who's up here giving y'all a sermon. I probably wouldn't be had I gone down a completely different route, but I'm glad I went down this route because now I can talk to all of you, wonderful people about my story and journey. I guess if I could leave you guys with anything, it would be this one. You have to pray in those critical times. The times when you don't think you're gonna be able to go on any longer where one more day is something that you can't even bear to think about. That's when you pray, don't make the mistake. I did don't waste. Don't be angry because you don't get what you want and then quit and tell everyone around you that they're dumb for praying to and just always pray even though sometimes that that answer is going to be no, you have to accept that and move on because God has the perfect plan for your life. Let's pray dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this day. Thank you for allowing me to come up here and give this message to all these wonderful people. I ask that you can use me over and over and over again to help those through your glory. I ask that everyone here was touched by the message in some way and that everyone, all the other students have a great rest of their day, a great rest of the sermon or service and that we can all go home happy and yeah, I appreciate everybody here and thank you Amen Amen. Thank you so much for joining our weekly podcast from our sunday experience. If you have any questions, please reach out to us at connections at parkway Fellowship dot com, have a blessed week.