Are We Enjoying A Pity Party?

HAVING A PITY PARTY... THE BATTLE OF THE MIND

By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com

This lesson is not about clinical depression from a chemical imbalance that requires

professional help.

Do you know no 16 seed NCAA team has ever beaten a #1 seed? Someday, some team will break

that record. But upsets do happen: #14 seed beat #3 seed Baylor. March Madness 2015.

#14 seed UAB beat #3 seed Iowa State?

Life can only be understood by looking back. Life can only be lived by LOOKING FORWARD.

I. WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? ONE IS A LONELY NUMBER? PITY PARTY ME?

HOW DO WE DEFINE OURSELVES? ISOLATIPON IS DANGEROUS...

1 Kings 19:9 And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the

LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?

A. There was this little old lady that lead singing. Before she started the singing she

would say: NO BODY KNOWS THE TROUBLE I SEEN, THIS WEEK HAS BEEN TERRIBLE.

The family has been mean to me. The dog messed in the carpet. The devil's been on my back.

I just don't know if I can make it or not. Turn to page 120 and let us sing: VICTORY IN JESUS.

1 Kings 19:4 But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under

a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD,

take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.

C. I am the ONLY ONE going through this mess.

No one has it as bad as I do... POOR OLD ME...

1 Kings 19:14 And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: because the children

of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword;

and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.

D. GOD DECLARES TO THE PITY PARTY PREACHER, YOU ARE NOT ALONE...

I HAVE 7,000 IN ONE CITY THAT HAVE NOT BOWED TO BAAL. THEY HAVE NOT KISSED

THE WORLD'S SYSTEM. (1 Kings 19:18)

II. MY BANANA THEORY... BRINGS ON THE MIND GAMES OF DISCOURAGEMENT...

A. Our enemy has a detailed plan to destroy you and throw up your hands and fall back

into trouble.

B. THE DEVIL KNEW HE COULD NOT ATTACK ADAM AND EVER TOGETHER...

Our enemy is SUBTIL... sneaky,elusive, cunning, crafty, discerning...

He isolated EVE, caught her by herself, and opened a discussion of 1/2 truths...

Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had

made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

C. A banana is safe as long as he is hanging with the bunch. It is when he is isolated from

the bunch, the banana will soon be skinned.

D. JUDAS LEAVES JESUS & THE 12 --- ?

E. Samson left his mom and dad, and was in the room alone with DELIAH?

III. I AM THE ONLY ONE REALLY TRYING TO SERVE GOD, AND LOOK AT POOR LITTLE

OLD ME. PITY PARTIES WILL NEVER BRING VICTORY AND PRAISE.

1 Corinthians 10:13 (KJV) There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common

to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able;

but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

A. Today we tend to INDENTIFY ourselves as exclusive groups.

1. We are Baptist, Church of Christ, Methodist, Church of God, Assembly of God.

2. We claim orientation by sex: male, female, homosexual, bi-sexual.

3. We divide into groups by body style: skinny, obese, tall, short.

4. Then it seems we have plunged back into RACICAL IDENTENTY.

We are black, white, Indian, Chinese, etc.

5. The is a GENERATION GAP: children, teens, young adults, old folks?

6. In school there are band, football, basketball jocks, nerds, seniors, freshman.

7. We identify by the handicap we are forced to carry.

8. We break up into groups: single, married, divorced.

9. We have sickness clubs and discuss our pills, TV shows, and things we have found

on the computer and we self diagnose our problems.

10. Family breaks down: parents, children, husband, wife, in laws, out laws.

B. LET US COME TO A BASIC CONCLUSION: Differences can bring harm.

HOW MANY DIFFERENT KINDS OF CHICKENS ARE THERE.

Roosters, hens, biddies, Rhode Island Red, Dominiquer, Bantam, Plymouth Rock,

Silkie, Leg Horn, Wyandotte, Brahma, Sussex, Jersey Giant, Easter Egger.

BUT WHEN IT COMES TO CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS THERE ARE NO DIFFERENCES.