Flee, Fight Or Forgive

In reading “Just Like Jesus” by Max Lucado, I ran across a term that I feel is hindering many families, churches, ministries and individuals themselves.

Max calls it – “Stuckitis”

Stuck meaning – trapped

Ititis – meaning – a six letter word you tag on the end to sound impressive.

He says attacks of “stuckititis” are limited to people who breathe and typically occur somewhere between birth and death. It manifests itself in irritability, short fuses, and a mountain range of molehills.

While we could make light of this subject, the fact is, call it what you want but many people feel “stuck” or “trapped” in certain situations. Things are going great until something happens that causes it to go sour.

· How many of you have been hurt by someone?

· How many of you have been let down?

· How many are still dealing with things in your life, in church or at work because of what someone else did to you?

What was going good is now turned to bad because you feel trapped in a place where you have to make a decision. This decision determines your outcome.

Your action determines what kind of person you really are.

· The type of Christian you really are.

· The type of faith you really have.

· The type of love you really have in your heart for others

· The type of love you have for Christ

I was happy. Things were going great. But now because of “YOU” I am stuck here. All because of “YOU” I am no longer happy. I now have to deal with the pieces that you left behind.

There are three actions that people will take to get rid of “Stuckititis”. Those actions are what we are going to talk about in this message.

1. Flee – “to get out of dodge”

This could be in the form of “divorce”

This could be in the form of “finding another church”

This could be changing jobs every two months

Simply put: Running away from the problems at hand.

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1994, Alabama reported 26,116 divorces / U.S. = 1,191,000

People who got so fed up that they gave up.

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The National Runaway Switchboard is an organization that takes calls and helps kids who have run away or are thinking of running away. They report:

1-out of every-7 kids (between age 10-18) will run away

1-3million runaway and homeless kids are living on U.S. streets

Why are the kids running? Because they see adults (their examples) running away from their problems at work, at home, at church. Something happens that we don’t like? WE RUN!

(ex. Forrest Gump – kids throwing rocks – “Run, Forrest Run”

in another scene, his Jenny had left him. So he started running. He ran for 3 years, 2 months, 14 days, and 16 hours.)

1st Kings 19

We read of a man named Elijah. Leading up to this chapter, Elijah had ordered the siege of prophets of Baal and had them killed. When we get into chapter 19 it opens with Jezebel proclaiming that she will do the same him “by this time tomorrow”.

Read v.3 – So Elijah ran.

Elijah forgot v. 46 in the previous chapter were the Bible said that the “hand of the Lord was on Elijah”. God had things under control but Elijah got scared.

He was ready to give up. Read v.4 – “Take my Life”

· I am done, I am finished

· This is too much for me

· I didn’t ask for all of this

· Life is not fair

· God doesn’t care about me or I wouldn’t be in this mess

v.9 – God ask Elijah what He is asking you:

What are you doing here?

You are not where I had you

You are not where I told you to be

You are not in my will

Many of you are faced with problems that seem unfair, they seem too much to handle.

Realize:

1. God is with you

2. God loves you

3. God is in Control

- Running is not the answer.

Problems you hope to escape by running away are replaced by other (sometimes bigger) problems of life.

2nd Corinthians 12:10 – Paul says:

“I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak – I am made strong”

What was he talking about?

v.9 – Paul says that “the power of Christ is perfected in my weakness”.

You don’t realize what God can do for you until you have gone as far as you can go on your own. That’s when God takes over and realize that you have a powerful God who loves and keeps you.

Fleeing from responsibilities and problems is not the answer.