Does This Sitiuation Define The Moment?

DOES THE SITUATION DEFINE THE MOMENT?

OR DO WE DEFINE THE SITUATION?

RENEW! RESTORE!

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

Good things happen to bad people.

Bad things happen to good people.

What ever happens is neither good or bad it is what we do as we face the negative?

Often the worse thing that could ever happen to us, could be the best thing?

You are where you are? God knows about it! Will we trust Him?

I. DOES THE SITUATION DEFINE THE MOMENT?

GOD NEEDED ONE MAN TO DECLARE AN ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION? CAN THESE BONES LIVE AGAIN?

THEY ARE VERY DRY BONES?

A. HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A HOPELESS SITUATION?

Does the situation DEFINE THE MOMENT?

Ezekiel 37:1 The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones,

2 And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.

3 And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest.

4 Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.

B. WE NEED NO ONE TO DEFINE HOW HOPELESS DRY BONES ARE?

GOD NEEDED A MAN THAT WOULD OBEY HIS WORD, DECLARE HIS WORD, AND SEE WHAT GOD CAN DO.

Ezekiel 37:10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.

C. THIS EXCEEDING GREAT ARMY BEING RESTORED AND RENEWED CAN ALL BE TRACED TO ONE MAN BELIEVING THE UNBELIEVABLE.

D. Can faith reach beyond your ability?

II. HAVE YOU EVER HEARD: I DON’T LOVE YOU ANY MORE?

OUR LOVE DIED? EVER CONSIDER WHAT KILLS LOVE?

ARE WE EXHAUSTED? FRUSTRATED? DOOMED?

A. REGENERATION:

Spiritual renewal, revival.

Cut a starfish in half? You can grow 2 starfish?

2 Cor. 4:16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

B. RENEW:

Restore freshness, vigor, --- to make spiritually new.

To do again.

Restore what has become faded.

C. REFRESH:

To revive, to restore strength, renewing supply, to give a new face.

D. RESTORE:

To give back, return, to cure, heal, remedy.

E. Have you ever been exhausted and at your wit’s end.

Then you had a good night’s sleep, and wake up and things look different?

Ephes. 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Col. 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

III. WE NEED TO KNOW A SECRET PLACE, A SOURCE OF WATER, OF LIFE ...

WHERE WE CAN COME AND RUN DURING A DRY TIME.

Song 4:12 A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.

A. Hidden in this METAPHOR IS A REAL PROBLEM, DURING A BAD TIME THE ENEMY WOULD CAPTURE THE SPRINGS OF WATER.

A wise person would have a hidden spring, the entrance was hidden from view, but in bad--- hard times one could come and find water to sustain the family.

B. As believers we must develop sources of RENEWAL, not a common place, but an EXTRA EFFORT HIDDEN PLACE.

C. We come to God with our garden, we planted what ever we planted?

Our harvest will depend on what we planted and how much we planted.

D. We need God’s blessings upon our GARDENS.

We must come to that secret spring that sustains us even when we can’t understand this day? We must not react --- we must ACT BY FAITH.

IV. ADAM AND EVE LOST THE CLOSENESS OF GOD’S VISITATION. THEY TOOK GOD’S PRESENCE FOR GRANTED, AND STARTED FLIRTING AND ENTERTAINING GOD’S ENEMY.

A. Where are our eyes and heart fixed?

Psalm 38:21 Forsake me not, O Lord: O my God, be not far from me.

B. Adam and Eve had a PROMISE and they grew a passion for life. Over time this PASSION SEEMED TO DIE?

C. BEFORE THE DISCUSSION WITH GOD’S ENEMY,

BEFORE THE LOOKING AT THE FRUIT OF THE TREE,

THERE HAD TO BE A HEART ISSUE.

D. THE PROBLEM OF THE HEART WILL ALWAYS BE THE HEART OF THE PROBLEM.

E. SOMEWHERE THE MAIN THING WAS LOST...

WHEN THE MAIN THING IS NOT THE MAIN THING ANY MORE, THE PASSION FADES, TROUBLE LIES AHEAD.