THE WINDS OF CHANGE...
CHOICE NOT CHANCE DETERMINES OUR COURSE OF ACTION.
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
I have a fishing pole with a sinker and a bobber on it.
INTRODUCTION:
1. Abraham Lincoln was talking to some young people, he asked them:
HOW MANY LEGS WOULD A SHEEP HAVE IF YOU CALLED IT'S
TAIL A LEG?
The group said: "5"
NO, Lincoln replied, IT WOULD ONLY HAVE 4 LEGS.
CALLING THE TAIL A LEG DOES NOT MAKE IT A LEG...
2. A SINKER is made out of something heavy... that will PULL YOU DOWN.
A BOBBER is light weight and will float on the surface...
3. ARE YOU A SINKER OR A BOBBER?
Where are you leading others...
YOU BECOME THE SUM TOTAL OF YOUR DAILY CHOICES...
I. DO YOU REALIZE THE BOTTOM LINE IS THE CHOICE OF GOOD VS. EVIL?
TEMPORAL VS. ETERNAL? GOD VS. SATAN?
ONE OF THE BIG CHOICES WE SEEM TO MAKE IS:
THE BATTLE:
1. WHAT WE WANT TO DO...
2. WHAT WE OUGHT TO DO...
TEXT:
Deuteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I
have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life,
that both thou and thy seed may live
A. We often consider the choice on the basis of RIGHT or WRONG?
GOOD or EVIL...
B. SNAP DECISIONS? RASH DECISIONS?
C. A 1,000 mile journey starts with one step... AFTER A CHOICE IS MADE...
We need a MADE UP MIND:
WHICH WAY AM I GOIING?
E. You are known by your words, deeds, and choices...
II. YOUR CHOICES ARE EITHER SINKERS OR BOBBERS...
WHAT KIND OF CHOICES AM I MAKING?
CAN WE SEE FAITHFULNESS AS A CHOICE?
1 Corinthians 4:2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
A. I decided to talk to a person about missing so much church.
They attended about every 5th service, They would be there once and miss 5 services.
They informed me the were very faithful in church attendance.
My opinion vary much from their opinion.
I ponder: WHO IS RIGHT?
B. HABITUAL: People tend to develop habits...
C. CAN A CHOICE BECOME A HABIT?
SOME HABITS CAN SHORTEN YOUR LIFE...
That is that kind of habits we tend to develop...
D. HABITS GROW ROOTS, and become stronger and stronger.
E. We develop tendencies of BEHAVIOR...
WE FORM GOOD HABITS...
WE FALL INTO BAD HABITS...
III. TRAP... SNARE...
HAVE YOU EVER SAT IN A CHAIR THAT IS HARD TO GET OUT OF?
CHOICE NOT CHANCE DETERMINES:
1. WHERE YOU HAVE BEEN...?
2. WHERE YOU ARE...?
3. WHERE YOU ARE GOING...?
Job 18:8 For he is cast into a net by his own feet, and he walketh upon a snare.
2 Timothy 2:26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil,
who are taken captive by him at his will
A. TERMS:
1. MOOD: a conscious state of mind, a feeling, a fit of anger, rage, DISPOSITION...
MOODY... Up and down, depressed, temperamental
2. ATTITUDE: a mental position with regard to a fact or state, a position assumed for a
purpose, feelings,
3. CHANGE: To make different, TO GIVE A DIFFERENT ACTION, REACTION, position, or
course, to replace, to shift... to alter, vary, transform
4. CHOICE: select, opportunity to pick out, judgment,
5. CORRECTION: more right, to straighten out, to bring to a standard, to punish,
to fix errors, remedy, to come to agreement...
6. REACTION: How you respond...
B. Dad would say: GET THAT LOOK OF YOUR FACE!
C. PEOPLE REACT DIFFERENTLY...
I was near Cincinnati, two churches were playing soft ball. A lady was up to bat.
The ball hit her and she bit into her tongue. She almost cut her tongue off?
While waiting for the ambulance, she sat down and laughed and laughed.
IV. EVERYTHING DONE CAN NOT BE DONE WITH THE WILLFUL ACT
OF A CHOICE OR A DECISION... there are DIVINE NATURUAL AND SPIRITUAL LAWS...
Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth,
that shall he also reap.
8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that
soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
A. DATING AND MARRIAGE IS WHERE PEOPLE TRY TO BREAK THE OTHER
PERSONS CHOICES AND HABITS...
B. Is it easier to change your choices and habits...
Or break a commandment?
C. DATING OPPOSITES ATTACK
IN MARRIAGE OPPOSITES ATTACK
V. IT IS MY CHOICE HOW I WILL HANDLE THIS...
UNSTABLE AS WATER...
James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally,
and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the
sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
A. THAT IS MY FINAL ANSWER: MAYBE!
B. Kids can learn how to PIT their Mom against their Dad to get their
way...
VI. ONE OF THE BIG CHOICES WE SEEM TO MAKE IS:
THE BATTLE:
1. WHAT WE WANT TO DO...
2. WHAT WE OUGHT TO DO...
James 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
A. We often consider the choice on the basis of RIGHT or WRONG?
GOOD or EVIL...
B. SNAP DECISIONS?
VIII. TO MAKE NO CHOICE AND PROCRASTINATE IS A CHOICE...
NEUTRAL IS A CHOICE...
Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love
the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God
and mammon.
A. STAND UP AND BE COUNTED VS.
LAY DOWN AND BE COUNTED OUT...
B. If you don't stand for something,
You stand for nothing...
C. STRADDLING THE FENCE can mean you get shot both ways.
IX. CHOICE DEMANDS ACTION...
SMALL DEEDS DONE ARE MUCH BETTER THAN GREAT DEEDS PLANNED?
A. We once had a garden and we moved.
The potatoes were in the ground, so I went down to the neighbors and told them
they could have the potatoes.
They ask, was I GOING TO DIG THEM FOR THEM...
I said: OF COURSE NOT, IF I DIG THEM THEY WILL BE MY POTATOES...
B. The argument about choice is two fold:
1. Give them fish...
2. Teach them to fish...
WHAT IS THE LONG TERM SOLUTION...
C. YOUR CHOICES AFFECT / EFFECT OTHERS...
INFLUENCE...
CONCLUSION: ARE YOU A SINKER OR A BOBBER...
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
Help enlarge my hands? Tell another of my work?
