Scott LaPierre Ministries Scott LaPierre

On a recent mission trip to Malawi, Africa, I learned three lessons about God’s plan for our lives. Things didn’t go how I expected at times, but God’s agenda was better than mine. I hope these lessons encourage you when God’s plan seems different than yours.









https://youtu.be/EG7D-ivgWLY

On a recent mission trip to Malawi, Africa, I learned three lessons about God’s plan for our lives. God’s agenda was better than mine.







Table of contents* God’s Plan for Our Lives Is Better than Ours* God’s Plan Often Involves Wondering What’s Next* Our Tuesday Night Group* Stepping Out in Faith Isn't License to Be Foolish* Sharing the Gospel with Another School* God’s Plan Requires Staying Married* Dave and Naida's Gomes's Testimony* Andy and Lisa Langdon's Testimony







When we took the trip to Malawi, there were two teams. I was on the teaching team that spoke at the Sola Scriptura Bible College the first week and the pastor's conference the second week. One particular day began very frustratingly. I am not one to blame everything on spiritual warfare or see the devil or a demon behind everything bad that happens. Sometimes, things happen simply because we live in a fallen world. But one morning, it seemed like we had difficulty getting to the Bible college on time. I joked with the teaching team that maybe we had a few Billy Grahams in the Bible college class that the devil didn’t want us to reach. First, we got pulled over:









https://youtu.be/Kqj3cgEIxx4









Then we got pulled over again:









https://youtu.be/56pqTpsupRU









Then we got a flat tire:









https://youtu.be/aKqBCTOYPSc









We broke down on the side of the road and had to wait for someone from the nursery to bring us tools to change the tire. Because we went to the Bible college each day from early morning until late evening, I hadn’t seen much of Malawi, so I decided to walk around. There were some buildings nearby, and I went to check them out.







God’s Plan for Our Lives Is Better than Ours







It turned out to be a school, but all the classes were canceled because it was a holiday. I was walking past the classrooms, expecting them to be empty, but one teacher, Mr. Moya, who you will meet in a moment, decided to have a class that day. I have no idea why he wanted to have class on a holiday, and I have no idea how he got his students to come to class on a holiday, but that’s what happened.







When I walked past his classroom, the students were excited because they saw a white person. I kept walking because I didn’t want to interrupt his class, but then I decided to walk back and see what would happen. The teacher, Mr. Moya, seemed like a serious man who wasn’t easy to read. So, I couldn’t tell how he felt about me at first, but I did get him to smile, which made me happy:









https://youtu.be/GgF2ujFyS9Y









I wanted to stay longer with the class, but I didn’t know if they had the tire changed, and I didn’t want them to wait for me. So,

From April 26, 2024, to May 11, 2024, I went to Malawi, Africa, to teach at a Bible college and preach at a pastor's conference. On the mission trip, God burdened me with a sermon about being content, which I preached when I arrived home.







Table of contents* Thinking About Those with Less Should Help Us Being Content* Complaining in the Book of Numbers* Wealth in the United States* Wealth Doesn’t Produce Contentment* Being Content Isn't Easier in a Large, Fancy House* Discouraged for the People in Malawi* Solomon: A Rich Man with Credibility* We Often Think We Need More* Possessions Can Cause Problems* Being Content Through Christ* Being Content Because the Lord Said, "I Will Never Leave You Nor Forsake You"* Footnotes









https://youtu.be/IQ0xjm91z5k

God burdened me with a sermon about being content during a mission trip to Malawi to speak at a Bible college and pastor's conference.











This video will give you an idea of the poverty in Africa:









https://youtu.be/cG5PgCh-yiI

The poverty driving in Malawi, Africa







Mike is our Malawian driver who works at the nursery. Andy asked him if the mouse on a stick was in season. That’s one of the common things people eat during certain times of the year.







A little background: There were two teams when we took the trip to Africa. I was on the teaching team with Andy Langdon, Andy’s Pastor, Mark Hoeffner, and Eddie Brzezinski, who had accompanied them on many trips before. Andrew shared in Sunday school about the other team traveling during the day to evangelize and visit people’s houses.







For my team, we spent the first week, Monday through Friday, teaching at the Sola Scriptura Bible College, about an hour away. I spoke two hours away the second week at a pastor's conference. Here is a video of the Bible college:









https://youtu.be/aHuBqx9YMPg

Sola Scriptura Bible College in Malawi, Africa







Thinking About Those with Less Should Help Us Being Content









The morning Johnny and I left for Africa, the kids cooked on the stove. One left a can of Pam cooking spray on a hot burner. The can exploded. The bottom shot out and destroyed the burner, and the can shot up into the microwave and destroyed it, too.







Shards of glass and metal flew out as far as the dining area, so we did two things. First, we prayed and thanked God that nobody was injured. Second, we had a physics lesson about gases expanding when they heat up.









I began a claim and left for the airport. When I got to Malawi, I started getting messages from my insurance company that they couldn’t reach me. I would email them back in the evening, but they said they needed to talk to me on the phone. I couldn’t get the claim moving, so Katie couldn’t get a new microwave or stove. I apologized to Katie because I knew this was inconvenient.

James 1:15 says, "Desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death." James 1:15 compares sin with pregnancy, pictured in Proverbs 7:24-27. When the foolish young man sinned with the harlot, the union's most obvious and natural result is pregnancy. The child produced from that pregnancy, or sin, is death!







Table of contents* Sin Begins in the Heart* Even the Strong and Mighty Must Be on Guard* The Wages of Sin Is Death* Sin Is Compared to Pregnancy Because It Gives Birth to Death* Sin Is Compared to Pregnancy Because It Is a Process* Sin Is Compared to Pregnancy Because It Grows* But What About When We Still Sin?









https://youtu.be/RM8pfYAUiLs

James 1:15 describes pregnancy: "Desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death."







Consider these people who were killed by, of all things, their pets:









* Sandra Piovesan had nine half-wolves, half-dogs that she raised, and after they grew, they killed her.







* Kelly Ann Walz raised a black bear from when it was a cub. When it reached 350 pounds, it killed her.







* Marius Els had a pet hippopotamus, which ended up killing him after it grew.









We know many animals are deadly. There are lots of stories of people being killed by animals. These stories stand out because the people kept the animals as pets.







All these people had one thing in common: they thought the animals didn’t threaten them. They thought the animals could be tamed and controlled. They thought they could have these animals in their lives without problems.







Marius owned the hippopotamus, and the article reads, and I quote, that he was “[warned repeatedly] that it was a wild animal that could never be tamed.” But he said, “There’s a relationship between me and the hippo, and that’s what some people don’t understand. They think you can only have a relationship with dogs, cats, and domestic animals. But I have a relationship with the most dangerous animal in Africa.”







This sounds crazy to us. Most of us agree that keeping wolves, bears, and hippopotamuses is a bad idea. These people thought the animals were safe because they got them when they were small and harmless. Over time, the animals grew and became deadly.







This illustrates what can happen with sin. We tend to treat our sin like a pet. It starts small and seemingly harmless, but then it grows into something deadly and kills us as well. This is the main point of James 1:15: "Desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death." And it is illustrated in Proverbs 7:24-27:









Proverbs 7:24 And now, O SONS, listen to me, and be attentive to the words of my mouth. 25 LET NOT YOUR HEART TURN ASIDE TO HER WAYS; DO NOT STRAY INTO HER PATHS,

What does sin do to us? The harlot in Proverbs 7 personifies sin. We can see how she acts toward the foolish young man to see what sin does to us.







Table of contents* Sin Lies to Us* Sin Says, “You Won’t Get Caught”* God Won't Be Mocked* When It Looked Like David Wouldn't Get Caught* Sin Makes Us More Like Animals* Sin Produces a Slow, Painful Death* Sin Hunts the Foolish* Sin Is a Baited Hook* The Way Joab Approached Abner and Amasa* Turn to God from Sin









https://youtu.be/-JeVOMo2fhY

What does sin do to us? The harlot in Proverbs 7 personifies sin. We can see how she acts toward the foolish young man to see what sin does to us.







Radio personality Paul Harvey shared about how Eskimos kill wolves:









First, the Eskimo coats a knife blade with seal blood because seals are easy to trap. He allows the blood to freeze and then adds another layer of blood and another until the blade is completely concealed by frozen blood. Next, the hunter fixes his knife in the ground with the blade up.When a wolf follows its sensitive nose to the source of the scent and discovers the bait, it licks it, tasting the fresh, frozen blood. The wolf licks the blade more vigorously until the keen edge is bare. But the wolf doesn’t notice the razor-sharp sting of the blade because his tongue is numb from the cold, nor does it recognize that its insatiable thirst is being satisfied by its own warm blood. The wolf’s carnivorous appetite just craves moreuntil the dawn finds it dead in the snow.









The account is grisly but illustrates sin's consuming, self-destructive nature. When we see people engaged in habitual sin, we can share this story with them and tell them to stop licking the knife. I looked at over ten websites to determine if Eskimoes do this because I don’t like when pastors use illustrations that aren’t true (something pastors are famous for doing). I found many websites with this story. But they were pastors’ websites or websites for sermon illustrations, so I’m not sure they can be trusted.







I think an even better illustration of sin’s destructiveness is found in Proverbs 7 with the harlot. We can swap the wolf for the foolish young man. Like the wolf, he is killed because of his desires. If you want to see just how much the foolish young man looks like an animal being hunted, notice the theme of verses 22 and 23: "an ox to the slaughter...a stag caught in a trap...a bird stuck in a snare."







Sin Lies to Us







I will pick up at verse 18 with the harlot speaking to the foolish young man:









Proverbs 7:18 Come, let us take our fill of love till morning; let us delight ourselves with love.









In the same sentence, the harlot twice mentioned the word love. This is a lie: she’s known this young man for about five minu...

Our Christian marital problems are only symptoms. The actual problem is in our relationship with Christ. This is why all the prayers for marital problems should include praying for a stronger relationship with the Lord. Read or listen to this content from Your Marriage God’s Way to find biblical advice for marriage problems.







Table of Contents* Submission to Christ Improves Marriages* Handling Christian Marital Problems* Three Encouragements* Why We Should Embrace Christian Marital Problems* Ask Difficult Questions and Expect Painful Answers* God's Chastening Is Not Punishment, But a Father's Loving Discipline* Learning From Painful Seasons Caused by Christian Marital Problems











Because our relationships with our spouses reflect our relationships with Christ, our marriage “problems” are merely symptoms. The actual problems are in our relationships with Christ. The horizontal relationship with our spouse is suffering because there’s something wrong with the vertical relationship with Christ.







For instance, in my marriage, the problem looked like I did not have enough time for my wife and children. But that was a symptom. The problem was that I would not listen to the Holy Spirit’s promptings to meet my family’s needs, and I was not trusting Christ enough. Instead, I let anxiety consume me.







Thus, the first place to address any symptoms that appear to be problems between the husband and wife is to look at each person’s relationship with the Lord. When I counsel couples, and they share a problem they are experiencing, they become confused when I ask, “What does your time in God’s Word look like? How is your prayer life? Tell me about your involvement in the church.”







A wife might say, “I just told you my husband yells at me. Why are you asking about his time in the Word?” Because the hope is that as a husband reads God’s Word he will be convicted of what he is doing wrong, repent, and become a more patient and loving man. I do not have the power to change a husband’s heart, nor does a wife, or there would be no need for counseling. A husband can only become the man he should be by having a good relationship with Christ.







Likewise, a husband might respond, “I just told you about how my wife humiliates me in front of our friends. Why do you ask whether we are part of a small group study?” Because ongoing connections with other believers can provide accountability and require vulnerability and transparency. You can learn from other believers and be challenged by their examples. When you are not actively involved with others in the body of Christ, you will not receive the encouragement and exhortation God wants you to have. You will feel alone, as though you are the only people having these problems. You will not have anyone through whom God can regularly speak to you. We are made to have fellowship with other believers. When that is lacking, it manifests in other areas, including our marriages.







Submission to Christ Improves Marriages







Here are two situations I have witnessed many times.

Do you want to know how to have a lasting Christ-centered marriage? Ephesians 5:18 tells us to "be filled with the Holy Spirit." Read or listen to this material from Your Marriage God’s Way to learn how the Holy Spirit will help you have a lasting Christ-centered marriage.







Table of Contents* Your Marriage Reflects Your Relationship with Christ* Jesus Deserves Your Obedience* Trust the Holy Spirit to Help You Have a Christ-Centered Marriage* A Holy-Spirit Filled Marriage* We Cannot Just Sit Back* What Might It Look Like for the Holy Spirit to Help Us?* The Encouraging Balance When Striving to Have a Lasting Christ-Centered Marriage











A few years ago, Katie and I faced the biggest crisis of our marriage. I started pastoring Woodland Christian Church when it was small, but within three years, the congregation tripled. Before I became a pastor, I was unaware of how much work is involved in shepherding a church of even a few hundred people. I had been an Army officer, a supervisor at a distribution center for a major retail chain, and an elementary school teacher. But none of those occupations approached the amount of mental and emotional energy and sheer hard work pastoring entails!







Almost all my waking hours were spent studying, teaching, counseling, making phone calls, sending emails, attending meetings, addressing administrative responsibilities, and tending to benevolence issues. When I was at home, where I should have been an engaged father and husband, I did not have much left for my family mentally, emotionally, or physically.







Although I was failing as a husband and father, I was able to convince myself I was still pleasing the Lord. I compartmentalized my life by saying, “I am a Christian first. I am a spouse second. I am a parent third. I am an employee fourth.” Instead, I should have said, “I am a Christian spouse. I am a Christian parent. I am a Christian employee.” The danger of seeing ourselves as Christian servants first and spouses second is that we can believe the lie I bought into: “If I can be a good pastor, I can please God even though I am not the best husband.”







The truth is that I was a poor husband, and I should have recognized that meant I was not pleasing the Lord.







Your Marriage Reflects Your Relationship with Christ







The reason we cannot please the Lord while failing as a husband or wife is that our Christianity is directly related to the way we treat our spouses. Our marriages are outpourings of our relationships with Christ:









* In Matthew 7:16, Jesus asked, “Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?”







* In James 3:11-12, the apostle James asked, “Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs?”









The point of these verses is that we reveal our Christianity by the way we live. Jesus clarified: “You will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16). And right living—or right fruit—can only be produced through a strong relationship with Christ.







Because our relationships with our spouses are our most important earthly relationships,