Even A Dead Fish Can Swim Down Stream? Drifting Is Dangerous!

DEAD FISH SWIM DOWN STREAM? Drifting is dangerous!

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

INTRODUCTION:

WILL YOU ALLOW HURT, BITTERNESS AND REJECTION DRIVE YOU DOWN A DEAD END STREET? WILL YOU REACH HIGHER?

Your enemy wants you to think your family, your church, and your ministry has hit a wall and your limits are to define your situation.

I think not. DON’T GIVE UP! NEVER GIVE UP! It is always too soon to give up. If the well has gone dry, dig the well deeper. There is cool water.

Depression, discouragement, and your emotions can run wild. God is not finished. There is a new hope. Don’t give in to the negative whispers.

God has a day of new beginnings.

Don’t give up on your family. REACH HIGHER. DREAM BIGGER!

Isaiah 42:9 Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.

10 Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants

thereof.

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.

TEXT:

Rev. 3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; 15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.

16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried

in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint

thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. 21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

I. HAVE YOU BUILT YOUR SPIRITUAL BEING AS A THEMOMETER OR A THERMOSAT? DO WE KNOW THE DIFFERENCE?

A. I understand that even dead fish can swim down stream. It may depend on the speed and power of the current, but in some streams a dead fish could travel over a mile in one hour. So just because you are traveling does not mean you are accomplishing much.

B. Have you ever noticed how hard it is to keep a knife sharp? Using a knife brings dullness.

C. Have you ever noticed how hard it is to keep HOT stuff HOT? Or cold stuff cold?

D. Will you build an environment that is conducive to GROWTH?

E. DEFINE:

1. DRIFT:

Slow, gradual movement.

Movement caused by following a current that is around ...

To be blown from the course ...

TREND, TENDANCY ... Inclination

2. AIMLESS:

Lack of focus, no training or discipline.

No plan, no purpose, undirected, haphazard,

No goals, no evaluation of achievement.

3. GRADUAL

Proceeding by steps or degrees.

Moving, changing, developing by fine often imperceptible degrees.

Go by small increments.

4. PROGRESS --- PROGRESSIVE

Onward movement... Gradual betterment.

Development to higher, better, advanced stages.

II. I WANT GOD AT A REDUCED PRICE? BARGAIN BASEMENT SERVICE?

IN THE PROCESS OF TIME:

A. Cain and Abel were sons of Adam and Eve.

Cain slowly developed bad attitudes and drifted into dangerous water.

B. It was offering time. YOUR GIVING HABITS CAN BE REVEALING! Often when offering time comes it can reveal good attitudes or bad attitudes.

C. Cain was the first born son.

Cain desired the presence of God at A REDUCED PRICE?

D. Cain was self-willed, high-minded and very VINDICTIVE.

Genesis 4:3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.

E. CAIN WAS HAPPY TO DRIFT IN A SPIRIT OF GRADUALNESS UNTIL HE SEES HIS BROTHER’S OFFERING IS BETTER THAN HIS.

Genesis 4:4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering: