Let God Turn a Crisis into a Victory | Pastor Pavel Goia

Summary

The speaker recounts his experience as a Christian in the Romanian army under communism, where he faced persecution for his faith. Despite threats of imprisonment for not working on the Sabbath, he found strength in God, trusting that all things work for good for those who love the Lord. Miraculously, a general's unexpected visit led to his release, illustrating the power of faith and God's intervention in human crises.

Takeaways

• 🙏 Trust in God's infinite power and love to turn crises into victories and challenges into miracles.
• 🔍 Seek a relationship with God rather than just looking for miracles.
• 🌟 Remember that everything happens for a reason and that God allows things to happen for a purpose.
• 💪 Do not fear people, for a strong faith in God eliminates the need to be afraid of human authority.
• 📖 Despite restrictions, find creative ways to maintain your spiritual practice, such as secretly reading Bible verses hidden in letters.
• ⏰ Spend time in prayer and study to build a relationship with God and gain strength for the day's trials.
• 🗣 Stand firm in your beliefs even when faced with the threat of severe punishment for not conforming to others' demands.
• 🙏 Pray with selflessness, focusing on God's will rather than personal desires, to experience true peace and divine guidance.
• 🛡 In times of crisis, surrender to God's will and be willing to sacrifice personal freedom for the sake of faith.
• 🌈 God can turn a personal crisis into an opportunity for spiritual growth and a testimony to others, even in the face of opposition.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the story shared in the transcript?

The main theme of the story is the power of faith and trust in God during challenging times, and how God can turn crises into victories and challenges into miracles.

Why was the narrator targeted by the captain in the army?

The narrator was targeted by the captain because he was an Adventist, a religious belief that was not aligned with the communist regime's atheism.

How did the narrator's girlfriend secretly communicate religious content to him?

The narrator's girlfriend would write long letters filled with seemingly nonsensical content about everyday topics, and then hide a paragraph from the Bible or inspired books within these letters.

What was the significance of the narrator's early morning routine?

The significance of the narrator's early morning routine was to spend time in prayer and study with God, which gave him strength to face the trials of the day.

Why was the narrator ordered to dig a hole on a Sabbath day?

The narrator was ordered to dig a hole on a Sabbath day as a test of his religious convictions and an attempt by the captain to undermine his authority and force him to work on a day he considered holy.

How did the narrator respond to the captain's order to work on the Sabbath?

The narrator refused to work on the Sabbath, citing his religious beliefs, and was willing to face imprisonment rather than compromise his faith.

What was the turning point in the story that led to the narrator not being imprisoned?

The turning point was the unexpected visit of a high-ranking general who intervened after learning about the narrator's good deeds and work ethic, and ordered the officers not to imprison him.

What lesson did the narrator's father teach him about fear and faith?

The narrator's father taught him not to fear people because having a big God means not needing to be afraid, as God's presence and support make problems seem small.

How did the narrator's prayer change during his time of crisis?

Initially, the narrator prayed for personal protection and deliverance. However, he shifted his focus to surrendering to God's will, asking for strength to honor God even if it meant going to prison.

What was the outcome of the narrator's willingness to accept God's will during his crisis?

The outcome was that the narrator experienced a sense of peace and God's presence, and ultimately, divine intervention through the general's intervention, which led to him not being imprisoned.

Outlines

00:00

🙏 Trust in God During Crisis

The speaker reflects on the power of faith in God during challenging times. They emphasize that God's infinite power and love can transform crises into victories and challenges into miracles. The speaker believes that seeking a relationship with God is more important than seeking miracles. They also stress the importance of recognizing that everything happens for a reason and that God allows events to unfold for a purpose that may not be immediately clear. The speaker shares a personal story from their time in the Romanian Army as a lieutenant, where they faced persecution for their Adventist beliefs. Despite threats from a captain who wanted to punish them for not conforming to the communist regime's atheism, the speaker remained steadfast in their faith, drawing strength from their belief that God is with them and will support them through any trial.

05:02

🛡 Standing Firm in Faith

The narrative continues with the speaker recounting a specific incident where they were ordered to work on the Sabbath, which goes against their religious beliefs. The captain, in an attempt to assert his authority and punish the speaker for their faith, threatened them with imprisonment. Despite the escalating consequences, from a few years in prison to potential execution, the speaker chose to obey their faith over the captain's orders. They reflect on their prayer, initially seeking protection for themselves, but then shifting to a prayer of surrender to God's will, even if it meant going to prison. The speaker's unwavering commitment to their faith, even in the face of severe punishment, highlights the power of putting God first and the peace that comes from such devotion.

10:03

🌟 Divine Intervention and Unexpected Outcomes

In the final paragraph, the speaker describes a surprising turn of events where a high-ranking general unexpectedly visits the garrison and learns about the speaker's situation. The general, impressed by the speaker's contributions to the garrison without any compensation, questions the captain's decision to imprison the speaker. The general's intervention results in the captain and other officers backing down, and the speaker is no longer threatened with imprisonment. This unexpected outcome serves as a testament to the speaker's faith in God's ability to turn a crisis into a victory. The story concludes with the speaker's realization that when they put God first and trust in His plan, they are granted peace and strength, and they are never truly alone.

Keywords

💡Crisis

A crisis is a turning point or a moment of decision that can lead to better or worse situations. In the video, the speaker discusses how facing a crisis can be an opportunity for spiritual growth and reliance on God. The speaker's experience in the Romanian Army is used as an example of a crisis where his faith was tested.

💡Infinite Power

Infinite power refers to the limitless capabilities of God, as mentioned in the video. It is used to emphasize that God's strength is beyond human understanding and can turn a crisis into a victory. The concept is central to the video's message of trust in God's ability to handle any situation.

💡Love

Love, in the context of the video, represents the unconditional affection and care of God towards humanity. It is highlighted as a key attribute of God that can transform challenges into miracles and is exemplified by the speaker's reliance on God's love during his time in the Army.

💡Miracle

A miracle is defined as an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention. In the video, the speaker does not necessarily seek miracles but rather seeks God, implying that miracles can be a byproduct of a relationship with God and trust in His plan.

💡Relationship

The term 'relationship' in the video refers to the personal connection one has with God. It is suggested that seeking a relationship with God is more important than looking for miracles, as it provides a foundation of trust and understanding in times of crisis.

💡Purpose

Purpose, in the video, signifies the reason or aim behind the events in one's life, especially the challenging ones. The speaker reflects on the idea that God allows things to happen for a purpose, even if it's not immediately clear to the individual.

💡Fear

Fear is the feeling of dread or anxiety caused by threats or unknown factors. The video contrasts fearing people with fearing God, suggesting that fearing people indicates a lack of faith in God's power and protection, as illustrated by the speaker's refusal to fear the captain.

💡Sabbath

The Sabbath is a day of rest and religious observance in Christianity, typically Saturday. In the video, the speaker's adherence to the Sabbath despite threats of punishment from the Communist regime illustrates his commitment to his faith and God's commandments.

💡Freedom

Freedom, as discussed in the video, refers to the liberty to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance. The speaker's decision to prioritize his faith over his freedom shows the depth of his commitment and trust in God's plan.

💡Peace

Peace in the video represents a state of tranquility and harmony. The speaker asserts that even in the midst of crisis, knowing and trusting in God can bring a sense of peace, as evidenced by his calm demeanor when facing potential imprisonment.

💡Prayer

Prayer is an act of communication with God, expressing one's thoughts, desires, or gratitude. In the video, prayer is depicted as a source of strength and a means to establish and maintain a relationship with God, as the speaker prays for guidance and strength in his challenges.

Highlights

God's infinite power and love can transform crises into victories and challenges into miracles.

Seeking a relationship with God is more important than looking for miracles during difficult times.

Everything happens for a divine purpose, even if it's not immediately understood.

Knowing God brings peace and trust, even in the face of adversity.

Fear of people is a sign of a small view of God; a big God eliminates such fear.

Problems seem small when compared to the greatness of God.

God's presence provides strength and support during trials.

Maintaining a relationship with God requires spending time in prayer and study.

The speaker's girlfriend secretly sent him religious texts hidden within mundane letters.

The importance of starting the day with God for strength and peace.

A confrontation with an atheist captain who demanded work on the Sabbath.

The captain's threat of imprisonment for not working on the Sabbath.

The speaker's refusal to compromise his faith, even in the face of severe punishment.

A prayer for self-surrender to God's will, regardless of personal desires.

The peace that comes from surrendering to God's plan, even when it involves personal sacrifice.

An unexpected intervention by a high-ranking general that prevented the speaker's imprisonment.

The general's recognition of the speaker's contributions and his order to leave him alone.

The transformation of a crisis into a victory through faith and divine intervention.

The importance of putting God first in all circumstances, which can lead to personal growth and strength.

Transcripts

many times we wonder what to do when we

go through

crisis but

God is infinite EMP power and love God

can turn a crisis into a victory he can

turn a

challenge into a miracle not necessarily

that we should look for miracles we

should rather look for God and for

relationship but we need to remember

that nothing happens by chance all

things and all means all all things work

together for the benefit of those who

love the Lord basically God allows

things for a purpose that we don't

understand and if we don't know him we

are going to stress and struggle and

panic but if we know him even when we

don't understand what's going on in our

lives we are going to trust in him and

have peace I'm going to give you a story

that would illustrate that very well I

was in the Army in

Romania everybody had to go to the Army

in that time and because I was a student

in University I didn't have to go to the

regular army but rather to a special

type of army where students would go and

it was a shorter term and so on and so I

was in the Army I was a lieutenant and

they put their eyes on me and they said

to me we know who you are you are an

Adventist I said yes we don't believe in

God in this country we are communist so

we are not going to allow you to do what

you want

well the captain came to me I'm not

going to mention his name he was a very

angry man he had curly hair when he

would tuck he was spitting he would tuck

so much and so much saliva in his mouth

that you was pitting all the time you

need an umbrella to protect yourself

from him and he was angry and he says we

don't believe in God I'm going to teach

you a lesson and if you don't obey I'm

going to put you in prison and destroy

you and terminate your life in my mind I

said you don't look like the Terminator

like Schwarzenegger but you know I

didn't say anything I want you to be

polite but my father taught me that I

should not fear

people if you fear people you must have

a very small God because when you have a

big God you don't need to be

afraid when you have big problems that

means that you have a small God because

if you have a big God is not that you

don't have problems you do have problems

but compared to God they seem very small

because if God is with you you don't

need to worry he will be with you you

are never alone and if he allows it he

will support you give you strength and

help you you put your eyes on God you

don't put your eyes on problems and so I

was not afraid of him I said I'll will

put my eyes on God but it's easy to tell

the story not so easy to go through the

story when you go through challenges

it's a little more difficult than just

to tell about challenges and

so again and again he would make sure

that I follow what the Communist Regime

what the government says not what my God

says they didn't allow me to have a

Bible or to go to church my girlfriend

that later became my wife would send me

letters long letters 15 pages or more

and though she writes very nice she

purposely used a very bad writing so

they could not understand and she wrote

Nonsense about about cooking about games

about soccer about pingpong about tennis

and she would write garbage and write

nothing and write

nothing and after about seven eight

pages she put a paragraph from the Bible

and a paragraph from inspired books and

she did that because everything was

censored the Communist Regime would read

every letter to make sure that there is

no religious material in it and they

would read a little and say ah garbage

and they would stop reading when I get

the letter I would cut out the garbage

and keep only the paragraph in the

morning I would ask God to wake me up

early and with a little flashlight under

the blanket before the other soldiers

would wake up under the blanket I would

spend time with God you cannot have a

relationship with God unless you spend

time with him you cannot trust him or

know him unless you spend time with him

in prayer and study so I would spend

time in prayer and that gave me strength

for the day when I would would go

through trials I had God's presence and

I had peace one Saturday Sabbath morning

the captain came to me and he called me

outside and he put me in front of the

other soldiers and then he talked to me

he said I'm going to give you an order

you have to work today I said I cannot

work is Sabbath the Bible says that you

don't work on Sabbath there is no God

there is no Bible he garbage no God can

help you nobody can save you from our

hand nobody would save you from the

Communist Regime from the

government he said I gave the command

you obey me you don't obey me you go to

prison and if you don't obey me between

you and me it's two three four years

prison but if you don't obey me in front

of the other soldiers you undermine my

authority it's going to be 7 to 12 years

prison sometimes more 13 14 years prison

and if during the war we will just

execute you and then he ordered the

other soldiers to get straight they all

got straight they saluted him and after

they got aligned he ordered me to take

three steps forward Pang Pang Pang I

took three steps and then he said I want

you to dig a hole in the ground I said

I'm sorry I cannot do that it's Sabbath

he said it's a command I said why would

I do that well let's imagine that there

are enemy airplanes flying and you need

to dig a hole to hide from the enemies I

looked up I said there is no enemy

airplanes attacking me I want you to

imagine that there are enemy airplanes I

said well then you imagine that I dug

the

hole he got so angry he said if you

don't dig the holy go to prison I said

well do whatever you want I'm not going

to work today there is no God to save

you I said well my God can save me as

the three young man but even if he

doesn't I'll not compromise I'll put God

first above my freedom above my life he

got so angry that I disobey him in front

of the other soldiers he left the

training field he went back to the

Garrison he called an emergency meeting

with all the

officers and then he proposed maximum

prison 14 years in a difficult prison in

kakle that was the name of the city he

proposed prison for

me I didn't know what to do I didn't

want to go to prison 14 years in prison

is not a good life what happens to you

there plus they beat you plus they

torture you and he said to me in prison

we are going to break you and teach you

to break Sabbath and if you don't we are

going to prolong your sentence more and

more and more

years I went to the

warehouse I was in charge of the

warehouse all all the materials were

stored I locked the door and I started

to pray and very interesting first I

prayed for myself Lord protect me help

me I don't want to go to prison please

help me

but it came in my mind what my father

used to say to

me are you focusing on self or you focus

on God how do you pray because the more

you focus on self the more you actually

worship self but when you forget self

and focus on God you worship God and

only when you put God first he can work

in you and through

you my father said to me everyone in the

Bible was willing to surrender and ser

sacrifice self and put God first and the

Bible says that if you put him first he

will take care of the other

things that was a difficult prayer to

pray but I remembered what if Joseph

didn't go to prison God could have never

worked through him he was prime minister

of Egypt because he accepted to trust in

God and go to

prison what If Daniel said please I

don't want to go to Babylon as a slave

but because he trust in God in difficult

circumstances God not only the work in

his character but God used him to work

for

others so I prayed the difficult prayer

I said Lord I really don't want this

trial in my life I don't want to go to

prison but you say that all things work

together so I'm going to decide though I

don't understand I'm going to decide to

trust in you so I give you permission I

give you my consent do whatever you want

and if you want me to be free let me be

be free and if you want me to go to

prison give me strength to trust in you

and go to prison and to go wherever I

would honor you if you can if you need

me in prison and I would serve you in

prison and people would be saved in

prison then let me go to prison do

whatever you want that would honor you

but work in a way that this communist

people would know that there is a God

and they will have a chance to be saved

while I was praying after I gave up

praying for myself after I gave up my

freedom and I was I I was ready to

accept God's will and I said whatever

you want I will accept it whatever would

serve you and honor you and help people

to know you after I surrendered after I

was willing to sacrifice myself

instantly I had peace my problem was not

solved but I had peace I could sense

God's presence next to me in prayer in

that moment somebody knocked in the door

of the warehouse pav are you in side I

opened the door it was a sergeant

Chuchu and he says pav do you know what

happened I said no he said do you know

the general and he said the name of the

general I said no I don't know him well

there are four armies all armies belong

to one of these four branches and he's

the general of one of the armies of

Romania and he came unannounced to visit

and to inspect our Garrison and he found

us in a meeting we were in a meeting to

put you in prison we are ready to vote

all of us to put you in prison and he

said I came to inspect your Garrison and

I am impressed the driveway is fixed

last time two years ago it was broken

who fixed the driveway and they said

well Goya who is Goya a soldier how much

did you pay him oh he did it as a

volunteer I noticed you have new windows

last time there were Windows broken who

fixed the windows they said Goya he

knows how to cut glass he fixed the

windows how much did you pay him oh

nothing after 4:00 5 p.m. he goes around

and as a volunteer out of his heart if

there is something broken he would fix

it well I noticed that the fence was

broken and now he fixed who fixed the

fence Goya the roof was leaking who

fixed the roof Goya man this Goya does

everything how much did you pay him

nothing did you put a picture with him

next to the flag and say this is the

kind of soldiers we want everybody

should be like him did you honor him no

why are you in a meeting we want to put

a soldier in prison who Goya why would

you put him in prison well he didn't

work on Saturday what did you ask him to

do to dig a hole to hide from PLS why

would you ask him to do that there is no

work does he work the other days oh yeah

does he does propaganda against the

regime against the government no he's a

hard worker he's a good soldier does he

love his country yes then leave him

alone if you touch him I will make sure

that you lose your jobs don't you touch

him

and then the sergeant said to me do you

know the general I said no but I know

somebody bigger he said what probably he

thought that I know the president of the

country I don't know but I was referring

to

God from that day on nobody touch me

nobody touched me they would walk by

they would salute me and they would say

oh you don't have to work on Saturday

you can go home you can do whatever you

want just call the General and tell him

that we take care of you maybe he would

give us a promotion I told them I know

somebody bigger than I don't know the

general they said oh we know you know

somebody bigger just call them and and

talk to them about

us it was not easy to go through the

story when you go through

crisis even if you don't understand what

is going on when you put God first and

when you know him he will give you peace

and not only that he will give you

peace but he is able to turn a crisis

into a victory a challenge into growth

into an experience with him and he will

give you peace and he will give you

strength and he will be with you and you

are never alone