SHALL WE WALK BLIND FOLDED?
DO WE ALLOW PROBLEMS TO DEFINE US?
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Ephesians 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that
we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
Did you hear the story about the TAXI DRIVER from New York?
Seems he died and went to heaven. He waited while the angel looked up his
name in the BOOK OF LIFE. Sure enough his name was there.
The angel turned and picked him out a GOLD STAFF laced with shiny diamonds,
he turned and picked out a SOLID SILK ROBE and gave them to him.
The next in line was a Pastor of a local church. The angel checked and there was
the Pastor's name in the BOOK OF LIFE. So the angel turned and picked out
a WOOD STAFF a,d gave him a LINEN WHITE ROBE.
The Pastor said there must be a mistake? A TAXI DRIVER receives a GOLD STAFF and
SILL ROBE and all I receive is this WOOD STAFF and a LINEN ROBE?
The angel said: SIR, I AM SORRY, BUT THE GOLD STAFFS AND SILL ROBES are
reserved for those that send us the most people. The TAXI DRIVER had 10 more times the
people saved than you did?
I. WE CARRY A GREAT ABILITY OF DENIAL...
WE CAN NEVER CHANGE WHAT WE ARE NOT WILLING TO ACKNOWLEDGE...
WHAT DO YOU SEE? WHERE DO YOU FOCUS?
A. Do we allow problems to define us?
Or do we define the problem and look for a solution?
B. In God's camp seems we will always find several different opinions?
1. Let us DO IT NOW...
2. We can not do it?
3. Arise, Lord God and we can!
Numbers 13:30 And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and
possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. 31 But the men that went up with him said, We
be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.
32 And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel,
saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants
thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.
B. I purchased a SIESTA MASK, or a SLEEP MASK. ($1.99, I have often used this)
I put this BLIND FOLD on a person, and asked them to walk while wearing this.
I asked them to pick up a dollar bill...
C. THERE ARE NONE SO BLIND AS THOSE THAT REFUSE TO SEE...
1. Ask a person with a TEMPER PROBLEM?
2. Ask an alcoholic? Drug addict?
3. Ask an UNFAITHFUL PERSON?
I talked to a leader about missing church so often? They come once every 5 services?
They told me they never missed church?
II. WE OFTEN ALLOW PROBLEMS TO DEFINE WHO WE ARE?
YOU ARE A PRODUCT OF YOUR CHOICES...
IT IS NOT JUST WHAT HAPPENS TO YOU --- IT IS WHAT HAPPENS IN YOU...
James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify
your hearts, ye double minded.
A. I HAVE SEVERAL MAGNETS WITH ME...
WE BECOME WHAT WE ATTRACT?
1. I have a several powerful magnets...
We discuss how OPPOSITES ATTRACT...
When you get married OPPOSITES ATTACK.
2. I use the magnets to REPEL each other.
Then I use the magnet to ATTACK AND PULL TOGETHER.
B. THEN I DISCUSS WHAT ARE YOU ATTRACTING IN YOUR DAILY LIFE?
C. I purchased a 4" MAGNETIC PARTS HOLDER...
It is a small bowl. I have a few washers and screws and instead of dumping the
washers and screws out, the metal pieces are STUCK FAST in the MAGNETIC BOWL.
How often do we HANG ON TO THINGS and they keep us upset.
WE HAVE TO LEARN TO LET GO!
D. It is a two fold work...
1. Resist the Devil...
2. DRAW NIGH TO GOD...
E. QUIT FLIRTING WITH THE WORLD...
1 Corinthians 6:18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he
that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
1 Corinthians 10:14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.
III. GOD HAS A PLAN --- WE REFUSE TO SEE IT...
IN THE PROBLEM IS THE SOLUTION...
IS THIS BAD? OR IS THIS GOOD?
A. In the freezing cold softens the soil for spring plowing?
God used the wind to can away the locust?
Dark clouds bring rain and the rainbow...
B. WHAT DO WE FORGET WHEN WE FACE DIFFICULT OBSTACLES?
What do you know?
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to
them who are the called according to his purpose.
C. Faith's walk CAST THE CARES ON TYHE LORD.
Samson faces the lion... ADVERSITY...
WE ARE HUNGRY?
In the adversity comes SAMSON FINDS HONEY TO FEED HIS MOM AND DAD
and Himself.
IV. WE TEND TO GROW ATTITUDES WHERE WE ALLOW PROBLEMS TO DEFINE US...
THE CHURCH AND THE NATION ARE BACKSLIDDEN...
THE PREACHER WAS OUT OF SPIRITUAL TOUCH...
A. ELI almost allows the LIGHT burn out...
B. His sons: PHINEHAS & HOPHI are living in BOLD SIN.
C. THE ARK OF THE COVENANT FALLS INTO THE ENEMY'S CAMP...
D. THE DAY IS VERY DARK...
Eli, Hophi and Phinehas die in the same day...
E. Phinehas wife IS EXPECTING... goes in to labor...
1 Samuel 4:19 And his daughter in law, Phinehas' wife, was with child, near to be delivered:
and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father in law and
her husband were dead, she bowed herself and travailed; for her pains came upon her.
20 And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not; for
thou hast born a son. But she answered not, neither did she regard it.
21 And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the
ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband.
22 And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken.
F. PHINEHAS WIFE SPEAKS NEGATIVE...
GOD IS GONE--- GOD'S GLORY IS DEPARTED... ICHABOD...
G. WHY NOT LOOK AHEAD BY FAITH AND DECLARE:
GOD'S GLORY WILL RETURN... WE CAN HAVE REVIVAL AHEAD...
NO SHE ALLOWS THE TROUBLE TO DICTATE HER ATTITUDES AND DEFEAT.
H. Poor ICHABOD will lived a doomed life: GOD'S GLORY IS GONE...
V. WE MUST NOT ALLOW PROBLEMS TO DEFINE US ---
IT IS ALL IN HOW YOU LOOK AT IT... SEE THE NEGATIVE? EXPECT THE WORSE...
REACT TO PROBLEMS, ACT BY FAITH...
THE FLESH MOURNS OVER TROUBLE & TRIALS...
THE SPIRIT LOOKS FORWARD BY FAITH... GREAT EXPECTATIONS?
A. RACHEL has carried many problems through out her days...
Rachel seemed to focus on the BAD STUFF?
Genesis 35:16 And they journeyed from Bethel; and there was but a little way to come to
Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour.
17 And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her,
Fear not; thou shalt have this son also.
18 And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name
Ben-oni: but his father called him Benjamin.
B. WE TEND TO ALLOW PROBLEMS TO DEFINE US:
RACHEL IS HAVING HER SECOND SON...
THEY HAVE HAD A TERRIBLE TIME SINCE SHE GOT MARRIED...
LEAH HER SISTER... HER DAD?
C. BEN-ONI MEANS DIFFICULT, TOUGH TIMES, HARD TIMES, SON OFSORROW...
D. THE MOTHER IN HARD LABOR CALLS HER SON BEN-ONI...
Out of CASTIOPHIES AND CALAMITIES
E. HIS DAD SAID: NO YOU DON'T NAME MY BOY TROUBLE...
JACOB NAMES HIM BENJAMIN: THE WOLF THAT HOWLS...
THE VICTOR, STRONG-MIGHTY MAN OF GOD... DEPENDABLE, LOYAL...
BENJAMIN WILL PLAY A GREAT ROLE AND GIVE THE NATION OF ISRAEL MANY
STRONG WARRIORS.
CONCLUSION: God uses problems as opportunities to OPEN HEAVENS DOORS.
This problem does not have to define you.
We hear "TIME HEALS EVERYTHING."
Time heals nothing? IT IS UP TO YOU AS TO WHAT TIME BRINGS...
YOU CONTROL YOUR ATTITUDES --- CHANGE IS A CHOICE...
STAY IN THE DIFFICULTY WHERE YOU ARE --- OR CHANGE...
PROBLEMS DO NOT HAVE TO DEFINE YOUR LIFE...
THIS IS A STUMBLING BLOCK OF DEFEAT---
OR STEPPING STONE OF OPPORTUNITY---
Ephesians 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that
we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
