Solving Problems God’s Way; Part 7 – Problem Prevention
Deuteronomy 7:1-26
Intro.
* It would be better for us to simply avoid problems altogether instead of trying to solve them.
* As stated before, there is no way we can live a life that is problem free.
-- We live in a world that is fallen.
-- Man that is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble.
-- Jesus said, "In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.
* Even if you lived a completely sinless, perfect life, you would still have problems. How do I know? Jesus !
* However, it’s actually possible for us to avoid some (but not all) of the problems of life.
* Some problems we bring upon ourselves. We are the cause. We make bad choices, or bad decisions and we have to live with the consequences.
Joke -- Dawson, for example, made a bad decision that caused him numerous problems. Dawson and his wife, Jennifer, had been debating buying a vehicle for weeks. He wanted a truck. She wanted a fast little sports-like car so she could zip through traffic around town. He would probably have settled on any beat up old truck, but everything she seemed to like was way out of their price range.
"Look!" she said. "I want something that goes from 0 to 200 in just a few seconds. Nothing else will do. My birthday is coming up so surprise me!"
Dawson did just that. For her birthday, he bought her a brand new bathroom scale.
Nobody has seen or heard from him since.
* In the automobile world and in industrial maintenance we have what they call preventative maintenance.
Example 1) Automobile , Every 3000 or 5000 miles you had better change the oil or a number of problems will arise from beneath the hood of your car.
* It pays to change your oil.
* It prevents future problems with your automobile
* It makes for a smoother running engine.
Example 2) House
* You don’t wait till the roof falls in before you fix a leaking roof.
* To prevent problems on the inside, and to keep the ceiling from falling in, you repair torn or broken shingles.
* You fix a broken drain beneath your house to keep water from standing to prevent structural damage to your house.
Example 3) Work (American Greetings) – a person is paid 365 days a year to do preventative maintenance on all machinery ,… all he does is go around and oil and grease machinery!
* Let’s think about some things we can do to avoid problems in the first place.
I. Avoid Problems by Listening to God’s Law Psalm 119:9-11
* Since sin brings problems into our lives; the less we sin, the fewer problems we will experience.
Psalm 119:9-11 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. (10) With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. (11) Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
A) Avoid physical problems Deut. 7:15
Deut. 7:15 And the LORD will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee; but will lay them upon all them that hate thee.
* If you follow God’s laws, eat what He says eat, avoid foods that are unclean, you will avoid physical problems that others have.
1) Regarding eating properly Lev. 7:23-27
Leviticus 7:23-27 23 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Ye shall eat no manner of fat, of ox, or of sheep, or of goat. 24And the fat of the beast that dieth of itself, and the fat of that which is torn with beasts, may be used in any other use: but ye shall in no wise eat of it. 25For whosoever eateth the fat of the beast, of which men offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, even the soul that eateth it shall be cut off from his people. 26Moreover ye shall eat no manner of blood, whether it be of fowl or of beast, in any of your dwellings. 27Whatsoever soul it be that eateth any manner of blood, even that soul shall be cut off from his people.
* Illus. – Restaurant today and there is a warning on menu if you order steak rare(blood in it). They realize what God said thousands of years ago is true… there is the risk of illness in raw meat.
2) Regarding moral purity Deut. 5:18,21 ; Prov. 7:13-27
Ex. Deut. 5:18,21
Deut. 5:18 Neither shalt thou commit adultery.
Deut. 5:21 Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbor’s wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbor’s house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbor’s.
* God’s cure for aids is abstinence
* God’s cure for STD’s is abstinence.
Prov. 7:13-27 Avoid heartache and pain by obeying God.
Prov. 7:13-27 So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him, (14) I have peace offerings with me; this day have I paid my vows. (15) Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee. (16) I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt. (17) I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. (18) Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves. (19) For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey: (20) He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed. (21) With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him. (22) He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks; (23) Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life. (24) Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth. (25) Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths. (26) For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her. (27) Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.
B) Avoid relational problems. Luke 6:31
* Take seriously the command “Love Thy neighbor as thyself.”,… and avoid a whole host of relationship problems.
* Jesus gave us a principle concerning relationships with other people.
Luke 6:31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.
* When we treat others with respect, we avoid a number of conflicts.
* Men, you can help avoid the family feud by heeding God’s word, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;”
-- Wives, … Titus 2:3-4 “The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,”
C) Avoid emotional problems I Pet. 5:7; Phil. 4:6; Matt. 11:28-29
I Peter 5:7 - ”Casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you.”
Phil. 4:6 – “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
Mat 11:28-29 "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (29) Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls."
D) Avoid financial problems I Tim. 6:9-10
1Tim. 6:9-10 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. (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.
Illus. - http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080220/ap_on_fe_st/odd_bank_error_arrest Wed. Feb. 20,2008
NEW YORK - A man was charged with withdrawing $2 million from an account after a bank confused him with a man who has the same name. Benjamin Lovell was arraigned Tuesday on grand larceny charges. The 48-year-old salesman said he tried to tell officials at Commerce Bank in December that he did not have a $5 million account.
Lovell said he was told it was his and he could withdraw the money.
Prosecutors said the bank — which advertises itself as America’s Most Convenient Bank — confused Lovell with a Benjamin Lovell who works for a property management company.
The lesser-funded Lovell gave away some of the withdrawn money and blew some of it on gifts, but lost much of it on bad investments, prosecutors said.
The district attorney’s office did not immediately have information on his lawyer. Calls left with Commerce Bank on Wednesday were not immediately returned.
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* That man is facing problems he would have never had to face if he had only listened to God and been honest and not stolen that which did not belong to him.
II. Avoid problems by listening to advice of parents Eph. 6:1-3; Prov. 5:1-13
* If children obey their parents, their lives will be happier and less troublesome.
Eph 6:1-3 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. (2) Honor thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; (3) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
* Prov. 5:1-13 Avoid a whole host of problems by listening to wisdom of parents.
* Listen to the plea of this father to his children.
Prov. 5:1-13 My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding: (2) That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge. (3) For the lips of a strange woman drop as a honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil: (4) But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword. (5) Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell. (6) Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are movable, that thou canst not know them. (7) Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth. (8) Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house: (9) Lest thou give thine honor unto others, and thy years unto the cruel: (10) Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labors be in the house of a stranger; (11) And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed, (12) And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof; (13) And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!
* Proverbs 22:5-6 : 5 Thorns and snares are in the way of the forward (rebellious): he that doth keep his soul shall be far from them.
--Verse 5 clearly tells us that the froward (rebellious) person will end up on a path that is hedged in with thorns and snares. (Problems to left and right!)
-- Prov. 19:26-29: 26 He that wasteth his father, and chaseth away his mother, is a son that causeth shame, and bringeth reproach. 27 Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge. 28 An ungodly witness scorneth judgment: and the mouth of the wicked devoureth iniquity. 29 Judgments are prepared for scorners, and stripes for the back of fools.
Illus> (This is sad!)
http://www.drspock.com/faq/0,1511,1281,00.html
QUESTION
Dear Dr. Needlman,
I have an intelligent, beautiful nine-year-old daughter who answers "no" every time I or my husband try to be authoritative (i.e. going to bed, which is a nightmare and which turns into a screaming match). She has two siblings (she’s the middle one), but receives a lot of attention from both my hubby and I and is considered a terrific, outgoing kid at school...except she’s the devil incarnate when asked to do something at home. Please help me, as threats, groundings--you name it--do not appear to work. I am truly at the end of my rope! Thanks so much.
ANSWER
June 13, 2001
Dear Marcie,
It sounds as though you are loving parents (you start out by paying your daughter a very nice compliment!), and I’m guessing that your household in general is a reasonably peaceful and cooperative one. You expect your middle daughter to fit in with this pattern, but she insists on breaking it. In doing that, she carves out a special place for herself in the family: the "noncompliant child."
On the positive side, you know that she is capable of following the rules--she does at school. So her insistence on opposing authority at home is a behavior that she has learned, or a behavior that fulfills some need of hers. It should also, therefore, be a behavior that can change. Before it can change, however, your daughter will need to find a different role for herself in your family. That means that everyone else in the family will need to change as well.
Since your sensible, reasonable attempts to get your daughter to be more agreeable have failed, it’s probably time to get extra help. Simple advice won’t do the trick, because the problem is not simple. In cases like this, I find that consulting with a skilled family therapist often works wonders.
Look on our site for a collection of articles titled Family Relationships that explains more about family dynamics and family therapy. Your child’s doctor or nurse practitioner should also be able to help you find a family therapist.
— by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P.
* You mean I need a therapist to control my nine year old? God warns about rebellious children.
* Family therapy is not the answer!
* This nine year old is in for some very troublesome years ahead, because she refuses to obey, honor, and respect her parents!
* If a child wants to avoid unnecessary problems, it’s wise to listen to parents!
III. Avoid Problems by listening to the wise II Sam. 11:1-4
Ex. – II Sam. 11:1-4 David should have listened those close to him.
2Sam. 11:1-4 And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem. (2) And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king’s house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon. (3) And David sent and inquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bath-sheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? (4) And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house.
* In our permissive society, we need a little help understanding how shameful committing adultery really is.
* BKC – "The sin he was guilty of was adultery, against the letter of the seventh commandment, and (in the judgment of the patriarchal age) a heinous crime, and an iniquity to be punished by the judges (Job_31:11), a sin which takes away the heart, and gets a man a wound and dishonour, more than any other, and the reproach of which is not wiped away."
* Here was a subtle, yet forceful attempt of the counselor of David to help him.
* “David, she’s married!,… think about it…You know her husband, he’s one of your soldiers at war “
* David passed up his way of escape.
Prov. 11:14 -- Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.
Prov. 24:6 -- For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety.
Prov. 13:20 -- He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.
* Whose advice are you listening to? …wise? Godly? …or the world? …Devil?
Joke - Pastor’s Wife Gets a Dress
One Sunday afternoon, the pastor’s wife returned home with an expensive dress in hand. When her husband asked her about it, she explained.
"Well, I was on my way to put the church’s offering money in the bank, but I saw this amazing dress in the shop window. I was just trying it on when the Devil appeared and started tempting me to buy it."
At this point, the pastor was beginning to become angry. "Why didn’t you just use scripture and say, ’Get thee behind me, Satan’?"
The wife sheepishly answered, "I did, but the Devil said, ’It looks even better from back here!’"
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* It was not a joke when David refused the advice of his counselor.
* God forgave David, but a flood of problems came into the life of David for the rest of his life!
* David refused to listen to godly advice; all of it for a few moments of pleasure!
IV. Avoid problems by obeying the laws of land Rom. 13:1-5
Rom 13:1-5 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. (2) Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. (3) For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: (4) For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. (5) Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.
* God gave us His law to make us better, not bitter.
* He is protecting us from ourselves and from each other.
* When God gives us a prohibition, He is withholding things that will ultimately damage our lives.
* Tax laws -- You may not like the tax laws of our country, but Jesus said render unto Caesar the things that are Caesars. And if we don’t abide by those laws, we are inviting problems into our lives.
* Speed limit, -- you may not like it, but if you’re looking for problems, just try ignoring the speed laws of the highway.
* Personal property rights, -- Perhaps it seems unfair to you that the rich have more than you do. But if you resort to stealing or taking what is not yours, your are inviting problems into your life.
Closing
* Rather than wasting our time and resources cleaning up after ourselves; why not invest our time in preventing problems in the first place.
* Why not schedule some preventative maintenance for your life?
* It’s much better to prevent a problem than it is to try to clean one up!
* If we listen to our parents, things will go well with us.
* If we listen to and heed God’s Word, we relieve ourselves of a multitude of problems.
* If we take the advice of wise people around us, we can prevent some of our problems.
http://www.eaglesoartech.com/sermons/
