Overcoming The Deadly D's

Overcoming the Deadly D’s

In this study we will look at 6 things all beginning with the letter D that are emotional struggles that we have to learn how to overcome. The only one that doesn’t explicitly deal with the emotions per se is the first where we will look at spiritual Dysentery.

Into: Aids (HIV) does not kill but it weakens the immune system and allows other deadly things to attack and kill, therefore it is only fitting that the first deadly D we discuss is like Aids, it is the absence of and the weakening of our spiritual immunological system:

The First Deadly D is Spiritual Dysentery.

Dysentery is a loss of fluids due to a bacterial infection. The fluid loss can reach dangerous levels. Water is essential for life! Spiritually speaking the water of the Holy Spirit is essential for spiritual life. Spiritual dysentery occurs when the Holy Spirit’s influence and presence is greatly reduced in a person’s life.

You won’t die per se from not being filled with the Holy Ghost. But if you are not filled other things will come a calling that can kill. Aids doesn’t kill but weakens one so other diseases which normally could be fought off no longer can be, and now become serious and life threatening. Even so, one who is suffering from spiritual dysentery becomes very vulnerable to the following deadly D’s; they are:

Disappointments

Dilemma’s & distresses.

Depression

Discouragement’s

Despair

You need the Holy Ghost to fight these effectively. Dysentery is very deadly as is aids.

To overcome dysentery ask God to stir up the river of the Holy Spirit in your life. John 7:37-39.

The Second Deadly D is Disappointments.

Some disappointments are short term, some are long term.

Short term: canceled vacation, missed opportunity.

Long term: relationship that won’t happen or won’t be healed; a career or goal that will not be realized. A standard of living that will never be achieved.

To overcome disappointments make them God’s appointments!

Every Christian has an appointment with brokenness, Jesus said Luke 20:18 "Whosoever shall fall upon that stone (Christ) shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder." Everyone who comes to Him will be broken.

As you struggle with disappointments, you can turn them around by making life’s disappointments God’s appointments. If you have faced a disappointment, in prayer acknowledge the sovereignty of God, and His desire for only good in your life. This will take the sting out of the emotion of being disappointed. Once you have dealt with the emotion than you can go hunting for the gold by asking of God, "what good thing are you trying to work in me Lord, what bad thing are you trying to take out of me Lord? If you will remember Jesus is only working through life’s circumstances to make you more like him, than you can join with Paul and joyfully say: "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."

If you don’t learn how to mentally reckon life’s disappointments as God’s appointments you will be adding to the load you have to bear. For the man/woman who sees God in their disappointments has by that fact alone, cut the burden down in size immensely.

Let me share something from the scripture that may help with dealing with disappointments. In Jeremiah 18 is a story where Jeremiah was commanded by God to go to the potters house and there God would cause him to hear God’s word. He goes and he sees a potter working on a piece and somehow the piece became messed up, so the potter simply took the clay and reshaped it as he saw fit. Upon seeing that God tells Jeremiah that since He is God, He can do the exact same thing with His people. If the piece doesn’t turn out just so the potter will simply remake it as it pleases the potter.

But there is an amazing difference between a human potter and a Divine potter. Suppose the potter Jeremiah had seen was Michaelangelo? What do you think his remake would have been? That’s right a masterpiece! Michaelangelo because of his gifts and talents, if he decided to rework a piece no one would complain about how sad it was the original plan didn’t work. Sometimes marriages end in divorce. Sometimes college careers don’t pan out because people don’t study hard enough, or loans don’t come through. If you feel that something in your life wasn’t God’s first and best choice, cheer up! For when your life is over others will say, "But look what the Master hath wrought from that lump of clay. Bravo sir!, Magnificent, It is a masterpiece!"