Fan The Flame--- Set Your Fields On Fire?

FAN THE FLAME... CHANGE OR FIVE LONG YEARS ?

By Kyfingers@aol.com

Exodus 32:9 And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:

Exodus 32:9 (NLT) Then the Lord said, “I have seen how stubborn and rebellious these people are.

Exodus 32:9 (MSG) God said to Moses, "I look at this people—oh! what a stubborn, hard-headed people!

THERE IS A TERRIBLE COST IN NOT CHANGING BAD HABITS AND BAD ATTITUDES...

*CHANGE? STAY THE SAME? IT IS UP TO YOU?

*WHAT WILL MOTIVATE US TO CHANGE? ARE WE STIFF-NECKED AND REFUSE TO CHANGE?

*LET US LOOK AT 2 IMPORTANT ITEMS OF CHANGE.

*1. IT IS INSANE TO THINK YOU CAN KEEP DOING SOMETHING THE SAME OLD WAY AND *EXPECT A DIFFERENT OUTCOME.

*2. YOU WILL CHANGE WHEN THE PAIN OF STAYING THE SAME BECOMES GREATER THAN

* THE PAIN OF CHANGE.

A person will or should change their eating habits when they can't walk anymore? They have a toe cut off? A foot cut off?

A person should quit smoking after COPD & a HEART ATTACK?

A wife will want to change after being served D-I-V-O-R-C-E PAPERS & her husband walks out the door?

THE RICH MAN IN HELL LIFTED UP HIS EYES IN TORMENT...

HE WAS MISSIONARY MINDED THEN --- I HAVE BROTHERS HEADED TO HELL...

LET ME CHANGE AND GO BACK AND TEACH THEM?

CHANGE? I WILL GET YOUR ATTENTION TO HELP ME---

I WILL SET YOUR FIELDS ON FIRE.... 5 LONG YEARS WITHOUT SEEING THE KING?

THERE ARE THREE MAIN CHARACTERS IN THIS LESSON:

1. DAVID THE MAN AFTER GOD'S OWN HEART.

2. JOAB THE MIIGHTY GENERAL THAT DAVID HAD COMPLETE TRUST.

3. ABSALOM, DAVID'S AND BATHSHEBA'S SON...

Absalom was good looking and had a head full of hair.

If you remember Absalom's half brother AMNON.

AMNON was so in love with his step sister (TAMAR) that he got LOVE SICK.

So with the help of a friend AMNON had TAMAR cook him a meal.

At this meal Amnon raped his sister TAMAR.

Tamar had to lay aside her beautiful dress because AMNON.

TAMAR'S BROTHER NOTICED THE COLORFUL DRESS OF A VIRGIN WAS GONE.

SO ABSALOM HAD A PARTY AND HAD HIS BROTHER AMNON KILLED.

DAVID BANISHED ABSALOM FROM HIS SIGHT.

5 LONG YEARS --- ABSALOM DID NOT SEE HIS FATHER, DAVID...

ABSALOM GOT HOME SICK...

ABSALOM BEGGED ONE OF HIS FATHER'S BEST FRIENDS (JOAB) TO ARRANGE A MEETING BETWEEN KING DAVID AND HIS SON...

JOAB PROMISED AND PROMISED TO ARRANGE THE MEETING.

JOAB NEVER GOT-A-ROUND-TO-IT.

SO ABSOLOM WAS A MAN OF ACTION...

2 Samuel 14:30 Therefore he said unto his servants, See, Joab's field is near mine, and he hath barley there; go and set it on fire. And Absalom's servants set the field on fire. 31 Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom unto his house, and said unto him, Wherefore have thy servants set my field on fire? 32 And Absalom answered Joab, Behold, I sent unto thee, saying, Come hither, that I may send thee to the king, to say, Wherefore am I come from Geshur? it had been good for me to have been there still: now therefore let me see the king's face; and if there be any iniquity in me, let him kill me. 33 So Joab came to the king, and told him: and when he had called for Absalom, he came to the king, and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king: and the king kissed Absalom.

WHY? O WHY DID YOU SET MY FIELDS ON FIRE?

SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO GET THE GENERAL'S ATTENTION TO GET IN TOUCH WITH THE KING!!!

IN A MATTER OF HOURS AFTER SETTING THE FIELDS ON FIRE ABSALOM WAS WITH HIS FATHER...

ARE YOU FOREVER TRAPPED --- WHAT ABOUT YOUR CHOICES?

PRAISE? COMPLAIN? STIFF-NECKED?

What does stiff-necked mean?

Exodus 32:9 And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiff-necked people:

I have a relative on my Grandmother's side that was called MULEHEAD BRYANT...

I never knew his real name. All I ever heard him called was MULEHEAD?

HOW DOES ONE GET THE NAME: MULEHEAD?

Is stiff-necked a good term or a bad term?

Could stiff-necked mean: refusing to change your ideas...

Refuse to stop doing something?

Difficult to deal with...

Mulish, unyielding, lack of submission, bullheaded,

Please, don't be angry with me?

SEEMS STIFF-NECKED PEOPLE KNOW HOW TO BLAME OTHERS AND MAKE BIG EXCUSES!!!

--- IT IS NOT MY FAULT? STIFF-NECKED????

WE FALL DOWN AND WORSHIP WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO US...

TEMPORAL VS. ETERNAL...

IT APPEARS WE MOLD OUR IDOLS --- THEN OUR IDOLS MOLD US?

WE SEEM TO THRIVE WITH DIVIDED DEVOTIONS AND DIVIDED COMMITMENTS...

LIFE IS ABOUT 10% WHAT HAPPENS TO YOU...