Remember

[00:00:07] Speaker A: Welcome to the weekday podcast of Sugar Hill Church, where we desire to help you know God and discover your purpose, whether you're exercising, driving, meditating, or just hanging out while you tune in with us today. Thanks. We hope these next five minutes help you feel encouraged and inspired for your day. [00:00:22] Speaker B: Hi, everybody. Pastor Chuck Allen here with another weekday podcast where let's go back to the Old Testament. In the book of deuteronomy, in chapter 8, verse 2, the new living transmission translation puts it this way. Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for these 40 years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands. Memory can be one of our greatest tools for building faith. Now, at 65, my memory can be faltering, but one of the things that shouldn't be hard to remember is the goodness of God. I mean, it can be an obstacle memory for sure. When the Israelites were in the wilderness, they had this tendency to remember Egypt's menu, but forget its misery. They remembered the fish they ate as slaves, but forgot the sting of the taskmaster's whip. Sound familiar, right? We often do the very same thing, y'all. We look at where we are now and forget how far God has brought us. We focus on what we lack instead of celebrating what God has already done. And this selective memory doesn't just rob us of joy. It actually distorts our view of God's character and capabilities. Think about your own journey. Maybe you're not where you want to be yet, but are you where you used to be? I mean, that promotion might not have come through yet, but remember when you were wondering how to pay next month's rent? I mean, that relationship might still need work, but remember when you thought it was beyond repair. The Bible places a super strong emphasis on remembering God's faithfulness. The Israelites built memorial stones, they celebrated annual feasts, and they told stories to their children and their children's children, all to keep the memory of God's mighty acts alive. But why would they do that? Because God knew that remembering yesterday's deliverances would fuel tomorrow's faith. I think we ought to learn from that. Consider the story of David facing Goliath. What gave him the courage to faith? The giant? Well, he remembered how God had helped him defeat a lion and a bear while watching his dad's sheep. Past victories become present courage. And this is why David writes phrases like Psalm 77:11, where he says, I will remember the deeds of the Lord. Yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. But here's the key, y'all. Biblical Biblical remembering isn't just about recalling facts. It's about reliving God's faithfulness. When we truly remember what God has done, it changes how we face what God is doing. Our memories become monuments to God's faithfulness. That's what points the way forward for us. Create a memorial of gratitude today. Jot down the ways God has brought you through difficult times. Get specific and note how God provided even when it wasn't in the way you expected. And then go celebrate and remember that as you press deeper into faith for tomorrow. God bless you, friend. Thanks so much for joining me on today's weekday podcast. [00:03:40] Speaker A: Thanks so much for joining us today for the weekday podcast. Our prayer is that the encouragement you just heard would help you live more like Jesus today. We would love to see you at Sugar Hill Church for one of our gatherings each Sunday at 9, 15 and 11, and we're always streaming live at Live Sugarhill Church. Thanks again for joining us today. As always, if today's message encouraged you, share it with friends and family by tapping the share button. Have an awesome.