Overcome The Challenges Before Us!

LET US OVERCOME THE CHALLENGES BEFORE US!

THE WORD OF GOD DOES THE WORK OF GOD.

By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. kYFINGERS@AOL.COM

I. HOW SHALL WE APPROACH WHERE WE ARE?

A. THERE ARE SEVERAL APPROACHES TO LIFE:

1. FLEX --- BEND

2. FLOAT --- STAY ON SURFACE --- DRIFT WITH CURRENT

3. FREEZE OUT --- IGNORE

4. FIGHT --- STRUGGLE, Is this the hill I want to die?

5. FLIGHT --- THE RUN AWAY SPIRIT

6. FOLD --- JUST CONCEDE DEFEAT

7. FAKE IT ---THE GREAT PRETENDER

B. WE CAN IF WE WANT TO --- DO YOU WANT TO?

C. GOD HAS A PLAN OF DELIVERANCE.

Psalms 107:20 HE SENT HIS WORD, AND HEALED THEM

AND DELIVERED THEM FROM THEIR DESTRUCTIONS.

II. DO YOU EVER FEEL LIKE A DILAPIDATED OLD BARN?

GOD HAS A PLAN OF DELIVERANCE.

Psalms 119:28 My soul melted for heaviness:

strengthen Thou me according to thy word! (KJV)

I AM FEELING TERRIBLE --- I couldn’t feel worse!

Get me on my feet again. Father you promised,

remember? (The Message, David Peterson)

Psalms 119:28 I weep with grief; my heart is heavy with sorrow; encourage me and cheer me with Your Words! (LB)

Psalm 119:28 My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word. (NIV)

Psalm 119:28 My soul weeps because of grief;

Strengthen me according to Thy word.

Psalm 119:28 My sad life’s dilapidated, a falling-down barn; build me up again by your Word. (NASB)

III. RECENTLY IN THE DISCILESHIP JOURNAL MAGAZINE THERE WAS A SURVEY ASKING BELIEVERS WHAT ARE THE 10 BIGGEST SPIRITUAL CHALLENGES FACING THE MODERN CHRISTIAN?

A. The Journal ranked the challenges by the responses they received.

B. Here are what the readers listed as our modern day challenges.

1. THE CHALLENGE OF MATERIALISM:

Materialism is a theory that physical matter is the only fundamental reality and that all being and processes and phenomena can be explained

as manifestations or results of matter.

Materialism is the doctrine that only or highest values or objectives lie in material well being and in the furtherance of material progress.

Materialism places a preoccupation with or stresses the material rather than the spiritual or intellectual things.

God has an answer to materialism.

Money is not evil, the LOVE of MONEY is!

1 Tim. 6:5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

1 Tim. 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Matthew 6: 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and ALL these THINGS shall be added unto you.

2. THE CHALLENGE OF PRIDE:

1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

3. THE CHALLENGE OF SELF CENTEREDNESS:

Luke 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

4. THE CHALLENGE OF LAZINESS:

Proverbs 19:15 Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger.

Eccles. 10:18 By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through.

5. AND 6. THE CHALLENGES OF ANGER WAS TIED WITH BITTERNESS:

Ephes. 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

Hebrews 12:15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

7. THE TERRIBLE CHALLENGE OF SEXUAL LUST, easy availability of pornography:

1 Cor. 6:18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.

8. THE CHALLENGE OF ENVY:

THE PAINFUL OR RESENTFUL AWARENESS OF AN ADVANTAGE ENJOYED BY ANOTHER JOINED WITH THE DESIRE TO POSSESS THE SAME ADVANTAGE.

To begrudge another.

Titus 3:3 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.

9. THE CHALLENGE OF GLUTTONY:

The excessiveness in eating and drinking.

Greedy, excessive indulgence.

Habitually greedy.

Proverbs 23:21 For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.

10. THE CHALLENGE OF LYING:

Untruth with an intent to deceive.

False or misleading, inaccurate.

Col. 3:9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;

IV. LET GOD ARISE, WE CAN OVERCOME ANY CHALLENGE THAT COMES OUR WAY.