Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Fire Part 2

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:10

Good morning, listeners. This is Cindy Shaw coming to you live from beautiful Tennessee. This is Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Fire Part Two. So I'm sure you're all wondering: well, what was she and her son doing during the time frame of her father being sick and hospitalized and dying? Well, you see, I had my own apartment at the time and I was still drinking. Not as much because my son was with me a lot more. But when I was working and he was with the babysitters, people at the bar would buy me shots or drinks. So that was my usual party time. Not very smart, but true. But you see, I was also blessed in another way. I had a group of friends that were bikers. Now, what comes to most people's minds are they are rough, scary, criminals, dirty, gangs, you name it. Sorry, but that's not true with the majority. They were like family. They were friends. They were my guardian angels. In Matthew 7:1 through 5, it says, Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? Luke 6, 37, do not judge and you will not be judged. Do not condemn and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. There are verses throughout the Bible on being judged and judging others. Romans 2.1, James 4, 11 through 12, John 7, 24. I could go on all day. But truly, haven't we all looked at someone and formed our own opinion, not based on facts, but just based on looking at them? That, my friend, is judging someone. You know those planks in the eye? Before addressing the faults of others. So the key takeaway here is self-reflection, right? What about the consequences, as you will now see? These guys didn't let anyone touch me, harm me, or let me drive while I was intoxicated. They made sure that my son was with a sitter. One actually, as a friend, drove me all the way to Miami, just as a friend, to see my father on his dying deathbed. Not one ever tried anything with me. They protected me like I was their little sister. So the consequences here that we measure by are the judgment that we use for others, will be based for you. God's role in this is judgment belongs to God, not humans. The approach is Christians are encouraged to offer restoration with gentleness rather than condemnation. Where do you stand? Do you look at someone and judge them? Do you jump to conclusions and think that someone told them something and in your mind you believe it? Even though it's not true? Do you think that because they dress a certain way, they are a certain way? The poorest looking person may be the richest person in the room. Think about where you stand. They were my guardian angels, as I said. I couldn't have gotten through my father's death without them. Psalm 91, 11 through 12, this well-known passage promises that God will command his angels to guard you in all ways. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. They will lift you up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. So, yes, I know God was protecting me in many ways, even then. But I also know that wasn't the place to raise my son for, nor future for myself. Because in an environment such as that, you always have betrayal, deceit, lies, jealousy, men who want to go out with you, who make up stories, that you would never give the time a day to, women that would lie and do anything for attention, and they have jealousy, all of Satan's favorite things. It's like a brewing pot. It starts in the beginning of Genesis with Cain. God warns Cain about his anger and envy over Abel's accepted sacrifice. Nothing that sin is crouching at your door, Genesis 37. Rachel and Leah, two sisters, were in a constant state of rivalry and jealousy over children and Jacob's affection. It goes on throughout the Bible. Proverbs 17:1. Better a dry crust with peace than a house full of feasting and with strife. Psalm 16:8. I always let the Lord guide me, because he is at my right hand. I will not be shaken. So I guess you're all wondering what happened next. I felt like I couldn't breathe for about four years. I opened a bar and grow with a friend, traveled around a lot, as you know I had to. I tended Bard and stayed totally drunk. Met a friend who introduced me to this guy. After he saw me, he told him, Sorry, she's not my type. She's way too fat. Yet we ended up together for four years. During which time I thought he was single. I received a phone call, a woman's voice on the other end. Is this Cindy? Yes. Did you know you're with my husband and his four-year-old daughter is the one suffering? I literally told her she was crazy. Because he told me he wasn't married over and over again. He didn't have any children. He assured me of that. So, yes, I go confront him. I'm only about six months into the relationship at this point. He admits he is married and has a daughter. I told him to leave. I didn't want to be the one to break up this family. I couldn't live with myself. I felt horrible. I went and showered, cried, went to bed, almost asleep. Approximately three and a half hours later, I hear a knock on the door. He's back with a bag of clothes and says, I chose you. Now at this time in my life, of course, I believed him. I was still drinking every day, still mourning the loss of my son. So I definitely wasn't thinking clear, and the and mourning the loss of my father still. But, you know, he didn't beat me. He had his own company. He seemed like a really nice guy. I was definitely safe. And Colossians 3.13 says, bearing with one another, and if one has a complaint against the other, forgive each other. Well, I took this to the extreme, don't you think? So over the next three and a half years, I grew, finally out of the alcohol stage, into the mature stage, getting a successful career off the ground, and buying a home. He was getting an hourly job. He lost his home, dissolved his company, and was paying child support. But regardless, I was thankful and I thought that was love. My biological clock was ticking. So I finally told him, or should I say, I asked him, are you going to marry me? Because I don't want to waste all my youth. So his response was, okay, let's get married. There was no proposal. We got married in the backyard, and it was more like a party than a marriage. People stayed and spent the night or two or three after we left for my honeymoon. And they partied and they partied. My mother stayed there with them. And she lost all my film, so I had no pictures of my wedding. I truly wanted a child then, afterwards, and he wasn't very keen on the idea because of our age difference. Later I found out, right at the time we got married, I was his third marriage. Shortly after buying my first home, the doorbell rang one day. Beautiful blonde, very well bit, introduced herself to me, and it was his first wife. I found out he also had another daughter. She was just four years younger than I. We sat and we had tea and she left and I learned a lot. Not long after, I was running my own restaurant and going to church regularly. I really turned my life around. I truly enjoyed it. I met a great couple and became fast friends. They were good Christians. I was hoping this would truly help everything. As I prayed for my child one Sunday morning before church, I went into the restaurant, got a few things, set up, waited for my key carrier, and I heard this inner voice tell me to hide all the money in the safe in the ceiling tiles. So I did just that. You see, I didn't know what that inner voice was. I didn't know the Holy Spirit yet, even though though God had been with me all along. 1 Corinthians 6.19 says, or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own. So I went to church like I normally do. I met my friend, her husband, and their beautiful children. And I sat there and I played church. Now I'm sure you're asking yourself, what is she talking about? Playing church. Well, let me explain it. You're learning, you're listening, but you're that person that says, I don't need to go up in front of all those people and tell everyone I accept Christ. I know who he is. I kind of know the Bible. I don't want to go get dumped in a pool of water in front of all those people in this congregation. Well, let me tell you something. God has a real sense of humor, as you will soon find out. After leaving church, most of the congregation would come and eat lunch with me at my restaurant. Then I went to the evening service, and many came to have dinner with me at my restaurant that day. Probably about 150 to 175 people. Suddenly, as I was talking to a customer at their table, I heard a voice, a very loud man's deep voice. Everyone, get on the floor and no one will get hurt. I could hear screams and then total silence. The person manning the door had a man with a gun, with a foot on his back and a double barrel shotgun to his head, which I didn't know till later after the robbery, that person was my husband. I knew, without a doubt, in my mind, that they were coming to get me next, as I was the only one with a combination to the safe. They all had masks on. I took my wedding ring off, put them down my dress, but they fell out. Someone from the church put their hand over them. I was walking to the safe with a gun to my back. The safe was on the floor. As I was on the floor, the gun was held to my head. I only had change and the cash pickups for the day at approximately $3,000. I knew I recognized the guy who had had me at the safe, but for some reason I blocked his name out for close to 40 years. I just couldn't put my finger on it. Next, he drops his gun over a $20 bill. For a split second, I thought about picking it up, but would it be worth the lives of many? No. I let him pick it up. I kept a level head. I couldn't figure out why I was so emotional this time. It wasn't like I hadn't had a gun pointed at my head before. So I called 911 when they left and got out of there. And we all stood up and we started singing hymns. Glory to God in the highest. Luke 2.14. The detectives couldn't believe how we were all praising God, trusting God in your darkest hour, in your darkest moments means relying on his character, his promises, and his sovereignty. God does his deepest and greatest work in our deepest hours. You see, the following Sunday, I didn't walk. I ran to the altar. I cried like a baby, and I gave everything to Christ at that moment. I accepted him into my life. John 3 16, for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, and whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. He never cried so hard. Following Sunday, John the associate pastor baptized me. Yep, John the Baptist. My best friend at church that Sunday gave me a Bible with my name on it and the sweetest note written to me inside. But just because I accepted Christ, do you think my life became perfect or even better? Absolutely not. Well, for about nine months, because I also found out that week I was six weeks pregnant. So here I was pregnant during the robbery. I didn't even know. It literally broke my heart. The child could have been killed, I could have miscarried. I was having an emotional breakdown and the doctor had put me on sedatives. I'm going to leave off here with quotes that you will listen to Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Fire, part three. Have you ever been mad enough to actually have a panic attack from being scared? Sometimes we can get overwhelmed with emotions and anger, or your monotone sounds angry to your friend or your partner you're dating, or your husband. Whatever the reason, the Bible says to take some time out and to calm down. God is not overly concerned about the fact that we get angry, even God got angry. He understands the emotions of our of his creations. However, acting out in anger never achieves anything good. The psalmist knew that sin often followed anger. When you feel angry, please don't yell at your loved ones. Go to a quiet place. Be still and listen. Listen to your heart and allow God to calm your heart and speak to you in the quietness. The anger still may be present, but if you submit to the work of the Holy Spirit that dwells inside of you, you can keep yourself from sin. Psalm 44, be angry and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed and be still. I have to remind myself of that. Sometimes more often than I'd like to. And I think if we all reflect upon ourselves each and every day, we all do too. I'm gonna close this in prayer today. Lord, I pray if this has touched one person, one soul, it was all worth it. I pray that if someone has questions or they feel they can feel free to leave a message on my web page, I can respond back to them now. If they feel like they need to come to Christ and don't know how, they can reach out to me at any time. I pray everyone learns to keep their anger in check. I pray that they learn that the Holy Spirit will entwell within them like never before, once they come to Christ. But it's not going to make things any easier. If anything, Satan's going to try harder to get right in there. But that's why we have discipleship to help others. I pray that if they say they feel they are being yelled at or attacked, you listen, you stop, you apologize. After you meet with the quietness and the Holy Spirit, give them a hug, be genuine, and love them. I pray all of this in your heavenly name. I pray you all have a blessed day. This is Cindy Shaw signing off from beautiful Tennessee. Please go to our website as we are a nonprofit organizational church, and we would love for you to look at giving us a donation so that we can keep this ministry growing strong. I hope you all have a very blessed day, and thank you again.