Hangin' On Tight

OPENER:

Game: Human Knots

Great Small Group game. If you use a big group, separate them into small circles.

Everyone squeezes together and grabs the hand of a person not standing next to them.

They may not let go of the other person’s hands.

So in order to untangle they must go over and under people’s arms to get untangled.

Sometimes you will end up with two circles.

The first team to untangle back into a circle wins.

Opening Illustration: Tiny Frogs

There once was a bunch of tiny frogs,... who arranged a running competition.

The goal was to reach the top of a very high tower.

A big crowd had gathered around the tower to see the race and cheer on the contestants...

The race began... Honestly: No one in crowd really believed that the tiny frogs would reach the top of the tower.

You heard statements such as: "Oh, WAY too difficult!!"

"They will NEVER make it to the top." or:

"Not a chance that they will succeed. The tower is too high!"

The tiny frogs began collapsing. One by one...

Except for those, who in a fresh tempo, were climbing higher and higher....

The crowd continued to yell, "It is too difficult!!! No one will make it!"

More tiny frogs got tired and gave up...

But ONE continued higher and higher and higher... This one wouldn’t give up!

At the end everyone else had given up climbing the tower. Except for the one tiny frog who, after a big effort, was the only one who reached the top!

THEN all of the other tiny frogs naturally wanted to know how this one frog managed to do it?

A contestant asked the tiny frog how he had found the strength to succeed and reach the goal?

It turned out... That the winner was DEAF!!!!

Always think of the power words have. Because everything you hear and read will affect your actions!

Some people rejoice at you failing, because it makes them look better or feel on an equal level plain.

But also, there are people that want to see what you can do also…check it out in Hebrews 12:1-3

PRAYER

When you have to hang on tight, you’ve got to have a positive attitude amidst some bad situations.

I read about a schoolboy who brought home his report card that was heavy with poor grades.

“What have you to say about this?” asked his father.

“One thing for sure,” the boy replied, “Dad, you can be proud. You know I haven’t been cheating!”

DREAMSQUASHERS

Lee de Forest, 1926, inventor of the cathode ray tube.

Theoretically, television may be feasible, but I consider it an impossibility--a development which we should waste little time dreaming about.

Thomas J. Watson, 1943, Chairman of the Board of IBM.

I think there is a world market for about five computers.

Recording company expert, 1962. ---We don’t think the Beatles will do anything in their market. Guitar groups are on their way out.

All of these people were left behind because that had no vision for the future. The bible reminds us in Proverbs, that “where there is no vision the people perish”

NEGATIVE AND POSITIVE

Today in the life of this church more than any other time in history we are faced with crossroads, one path leading to prosperity and another leading to a slow deterioration….either HANGING ON TIGHT to your commitment as a Christ Follower, or letting it go.

Hangin On Tight requires your attitude say win or does it say lose? Continually find the positive…

There’s a story about a child psychologist who wanted to observe how different children respond to negative circumstances.

They got a room and filled it with horse manure. Putting the pessimistic child in there, they observed how he responded.

Predictably, he whined and cried, and despaired that he was in a room full of smelly manure.

They put the other child in there, and the little guy started tearing around the room, digging in the manure with an excitement that baffled the onlookers.

After a few moments of watching this, they asked him why he was so excited.

He replied, “With all this manure in the room, there’s got to be a pony in here somewhere!”

Being a follower of Jesus means finding opportunity in every situation.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR HANGIN ON TIGHT

Proverbs 16:9 “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.”

Sometimes we don’t always see opportunities when we just hangin on tight, because we have our eyes closed…when our eyes are closed…it limits us and puts us on a level playing field with FEAR

The one thing that FEAR and FAITH have in common is hearing…

Faith comes by “Hearing The Word Of God” in Romans 10:17, but also, FEAR comes by hearing the “Roaring Of The Lion” in 1 Peter 5:8.