God's Promises, Yet We Must Still Dig.

GOD PROMISES, WE DIG, WE DIG, WE DIG AGAIN...

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

I take a shovel with me to the pulpit.

I. DO WE SEEK A SURE FOUNDATION?

VERY FEW DIAMONDS ARE FOUND FLOATING ABOVE GROUND, ONE HAS TO DIG.

VERY LITTLE GOLD IS FOUND ABOVE GROUND, ONE HAS TO DIG.

A. DEFINE:

DIG: to discover after a search, to bring to light,

break up, remove, or turn over...

Obtain or remove by digging,

PERSIST: to go or resolutely, in spite of opposition, warnings, or pleas...

PRESERVE: to last on and on, continue

Matthew 7:24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken

him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

[25] And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house;

and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

[26] And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto

a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

[27] And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house;

and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

B. The storms are coming, rain, wind, floods... THE LESSON IS ABOUT DIGGING.

C. QUIT SHORT OF THE MIRACLE...

A MAN IN THE MIDWEST FELT LIKE GOD HAD TOLD HIM TO GO DIG FOR GOLD.

He convinced his family and they invested everything they owned to commit to find gold.

They spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on equipment and start digging for gold.

3 months nothing? 6 months nothing? A year nothing? After 2 years of nothing, they lost

everything and decide to sell for pennies on the dollar and go home broken.

The man that bought all the equipment came one day and started the machines up,

he dug 10 feet and struck the largest seam of gold in the state.

THE FAMILY STOPPED 10 FEET FROM BEING MILLIONAIRES...

II. WE MUST DIG AND ARISE, DON'T GET STUCK IN NEGATIVITY...

WHAT IS YOUR ATTITUDE OF APPROACH... YOUR ATTITUDE WILL DETERMINE

YOUR ALTITUDE... IT IS ALL ABOUT DIGGING...

A. DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE MULE THAT GOT REAL SICK AND COULD NOT EAT?

The owner finally called the vet, something is wrong our mule can't eat?

The Vet RAN HIS HAND AND ARM DOWN THE MULE'S MOUTH AND THROAT AND

PULLED OUT A STICK. Seems while the mule was eating off an apple tree, the stick

got stuck in the mules throat and thus he could not eat.

The mule would have starved to death with plenty of food around it...

B. What does my OUT-LOOK LOOK LIKE?

1. Looking back will impede all progress? (Ask Lot's wife?)

2. Looking down you can not see Jesus? ( Ask the two on the Emmaus Road?)

3. Looking at the BIG PROBLEMS will depress? (Ask Peter, he saw waves, felt the wind?)

4. JESUS OUT-LOOK SAYS: LIFT UP YOUR HEAD...

Luke 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for

your redemption draweth nigh.

III. WHAT IS YOUR ATTITUDE OF APPROACH... YOUR ATTITUDE WILL DETERMINE

YOUR ALTITUDE... IT IS ALL ABOUT DIGGING... DIG IN PREPARATION...

Proverbs 23:7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee;

but his heart is not with thee.

A. What do we mean attitude of approach? YOUR PREPARATION CAN HAVE DEEP

AFFECTS ON YOUR ATTITUDE OF APPROACH...

There is a dark alley and you must walk down the alley...

1. You are a weak old lady that can't see very well in darkness is walking down

the dark alley.

2. You are a black belt in karate police officer and you have two pistols, a stun gun,

and a shot gun in the trunk of your patrol car. You have been trained 2 years at police

academy, you have 5 years experience in dark alleys...

Will these 2 individual have a different attitude approach as they walk down the alley?

B. LET US DISCUSS AGAIN THE ROLE OF ATTIITUDE...

Life is not success only journey... real life is not just a sunny day...

C. We pray to God for strength but we have resources we must use...

Ever hear someone say: I want you to pray I find a job? They sit by the phone all day, never

put in an application?

IV. THERE IS A TWO FOLD NEED: 1. WE NEED WATER; 2. THERE IS A POWERFUL ENEMY...

THIS LOOKS LIKE A PHYSICAL ISSUE, BUT THOSE WITH VISION SEE THIS IS

ETERNAL, THIS IS SPIRITUAL... GRAB YOUR SHOVEL, JUMP IN THE DITCH AND START

DIGGING... IT MOST BECOME OUR ATTITUDE APPROACH...