Are You Searching For Milk And Honey And Finding Nothing But Grass?

THIS LAND OF MILK AND HONEY LOOKS LIKE GRASS TO ME?

THIS IS NOT AN OBSTACLE --- THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY!

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

This is a two part lesson.

Let us ponder a few points before we start.

Is not this a land of milk and honey?

NO, TO MY EYES IT LOOKS JUST LIKE A LAND OF GRASS AND

FLOWERS? I don’t see the milk and honey?

WE TEND TO SEE THE GRASS, WITH GOD WE COULD CHANGE THE FOCUS BEYOND THE GRASS OF TODAY. THE GRASS OF TODAY WILL BECOME THE MILK OF TOMORROW. To achieve the milk will take work and effort.

See, God can take the grass of today and make it the milk we need for tomorrow.

WITH THE HELP OF THE BEES THE FLOWERS’ POLLEN CAN BECOME HONEY.

OBSTACLES ARE WHAT YOU SEE WHEN YOU LOSE SIGHT OF GOD AND THE GOAL.

DRY WELLS WILL PRODUCE EMPTY BUCKETS?

Don’t waste fresh tears over old wounds.

No problem or obstacle ever caught God by surprise.

OFTEN TIMES THE SOLUTION TO OUR PROBLEMS LIE WITHIN OUR REACH --- IF WE WILL APPLY OUR HEART --- TIME --- ENERGY --- AND EFFORT.

TEXT:

Isaiah 43:19 Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

I. WE CAN NOT ALLOW THE SIZE OF THE PROBLEM TO DICTATE TO US GOD’S OUTCOME!

WE WILL AFFECT THE SIZE OF OUR PROBLEM BY THE SIZE OF OUR FAITH’S RELEASE?

DO WE HAVE EYES OF FAITH?

EYES OF FAITH WILL DREAM OF THE PLACE BEYOND HERE INTO

THE REALM OF WHAT MIGHT BE!

A. HAVE YOU EVER HEARD THAT IN SOME FISH THE SIZE OF THE BOWL WILL DETERMINE THE SIZE OF THE FISH?

If some fish are put into a small bowl they will stay small.

In a larger tank they will grow to a larger size?

Place the same fish in a pond and they will grow huge?

B. GREAT MEN OF GOD HAVE FACED GREAT OBSTACLES AND GREAT PROBLEMS.

THEY HAVE FACED PROBLEMS WITHIN AND WITHOUT.

GOD HAD A PLAN, THE OBSTACLES WERE NOT BY ACCIDENT, GOD HAD A PLAN AND PURPOSE.

Mark 11:22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.

C. DRY WELLS WILL PRODUCE EMPTY BUCKETS?

D. OBSTACLE:

Something that impedes progress or achievement.

To stand in the way.

Roadblock, stumbling block.

E. Ask any good soldier, hard obstacle courses are good training places.

Can we be effective soldiers without overcoming obstacle courses?

F. It appears we are moving toward a Christmas without Christ.

A church without a purpose.

Prayers without power.

THE CHURCH MUST BE MORE THAN A SOCIAL CLUB.

II. BEING A GOOD CHRISTIAN WILL AFFECT OUR WORDS, OUR ATTITUDES, OUR ACTIONS, --- WE HAVE COME TO THIS POINT FOR A PURPOSE!

THIS OBSTACLE IS NOT TO KILL BUT TO BRING ABOUT GOD’S PLAN!

A. I went to a football game, I told my wife, let us not look at the score board, let us look at the teams and decide who is winning by looking at the coaches

and looking at the team.

After a few seconds we both agreed, this team was winning and this team was loosing, and we were 100% sure.

We looked at the score board, and we were right.

B. Guess how the winners were acting?

Guess how the losers were acting?

C. WE CAN TAKE ONE OF TWO APPROACHES TO LIFE...

1. I AM A VICTIM ...

I am no more than a sacrifice?

Everything that hits me will adversely affect me?

I will be hurt, injured, or destroyed?

Everything will bring me to hardship, oppression, and mistreatment?

2. I AM A VICTOR ...

I will defeat all enemies and opponents!

I am called to conquer.

I am a winner... I am a winner no matter what happens...

D. I am a winner either way...

E. HOW CAN WE BE MORE THAN A CONQUEROR?

Romans 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

YEARS AGO I WATCHED SUGAR RAY LEONARD, AFTER A FIGHT, HE WAS PARADING AROUND THE RING, HOLDING UP HIS CHECK.

SUGAR RAY’S WIFE STEPPED IN THE RING AND TOOK THE CHECK.

NOW THAT IS WHAT I CALL MORE THAN A CONQUEROR!

III. CAN WE STRETCH TO NEW HEIGHTS?

WILL WE LEARN A PARABLE ABOUT STAYING THE SAME IN THE MIDST OF OBSTACLES?

STAY THE SAME --- OR LEARN AND GROW?

Matthew 9:16 No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse.

17 Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.