THE RUT OF SAMENESS? MAY WE IDENTIFY WHAT HINDERS?
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
This is part #1 of a two part series on THE RUT OF SAMENESS, FEAR HINDERS...
2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of
a sound mind.
MUCH OF LIFE IS ABOUT DAILY CHOICES... CHOICE NOT CHANCE OR DESTINY WILL
DETERMINE MY LIFE JOURNEY.
I CAN NOT CONTROL WHAT HAPPENS TO ME, BUT I CAN MAKE THE CHOICE OF HOW
I WILL HANDLE WHAT HAPPENS TO ME...
WHAT IS HINDERING YOU FROM BECOMING WHAT GOD HAS DESIGNED FOR YOU?
It might be hard for God to lead and guide you without you making a plan and exerting
the effort where are you going? How you going to get there? You can't live a good life my
straddling the fences.
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:
MY CHOICE IS: MAYBE AND THAT IS MY FINAL ANSWER!!!
When Linda and I were young adults we had a life changing experience. In 1976 we had our
first son, and another son in 1978. Our life was forever changed. I made the decision to stop
traveling on the road playing music. (This choice was not my own? Situations and circumstances
kind of forced this upon me.) So I became more focused on the local church. These events
forever changed us as individuals and as a couple.
So becoming a FATHER CHANGED MY DIRECTION AND PURPOSE of my heart. I focused
on MY FAMILY, teaching school and a jail/prison ministry. But I paid some STUPID TAXES...
AS A YOUNG FATHER OUR BABIES NEVER CAME WITH AN INSTRUCTION BOOK.
BUT SOME OF MY GREATEST STUPID TAXES WERE EXTRACTED BECAUSE OF MY
ATTITUDES. I SAW MY SONS AS BABY --- NEVER EVER TO I LOOK AHEAD TO SEE
MY SONS AS MEN, GROWN MEN. NEVER DID I SEE MY LITTLE SONS AS SPOUSES!
I NEVER LOOKED FAR ENOUGH AHEAD TO SEE MY LITTLE SONS AS FATHERS! AS
I LOOK BACK ON OUR JOURNEY I SEE MY FAILURES TO SEE TODAY AND NEVER
LOOK AHEAD ENOUGH TO SOW THE PROPER SEEDS. I NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT
THEM GROWING UP. I WISH I HAD MADE SOME DIFFERENT CHOICES?
My sons and five grandchildren are one of our greatest joys in life. We watched them
grow and learn and they became part of our praise and worship team. BUT HOW I WISH I
WOULD HAVE MADE SOME DIFFERENT CHOICES ABOUT MY ATTITUDES AND WORDS
AND ACTIONS. I WOULD HAVE WATCHED MY ANGER MUCH MORE.
GREAT MEN OF THE BIBLE MADE SOME OF THESE SAME MISTAKES IN THAT
THEY NEVER LOOKED AHEAD TO SEE THE CONSEQUENCES OF THEIR CHOICES
AND THEIR BEHAVIOR. --- WE MUST CHOOSE LIFE.
Joshua 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye
will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood,
or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will
serve the LORD.
May God grant us wisdom, understanding and discernment to be able to honestly evaluate
WHERE WE ARE? HOW DID I GET HERE? THEN LORD HELP US DEVELOP A PLAN
AND LAUNCH THAT THAT PLAN TO GET US WHERE WE DESIRE TO BE?
WE so grow accustom to how things are, that we have this GREAT DANGER of being
trapped in the RUT OF SAMENESS? May we find Divine favor to give us the GODLY WISDOM
TO MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICES TO BRING ABOUT GODLY CHANGE AND ADVANCE THE
THE THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MY TORCH TO A GREAT EFFECTIVENESS.
WHY DON'T WE LIMIT THE STUPID TAXES WE PAY AND INVEST EFFORT TO BUILD
WISELY... SAND? ROCK?
WHAT IS HINDERING YOU FROM BECOMING WHAT GOD HAS DESIGNED FOR YOU?
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.
If you have read much of my works you know that I often say: IT IS PURE INSANITY TO
KEEP DO THINGS THE SAME OLD WAY AND EXPECT A DIFFERENT OUTCOME?
MUCH OF LIFE IS ABOUT EFFORT AND PLANNING!
EFFORT: work done by the mind or body, energy used to do something, a serious try or attempt,
something produced by work, a conscious exertion of power.
In my school teaching days I had a great student named David. His dad was a doctor.
David was a straight A+ student. One grading period I gave David a B+ in effort. His dad
visited me and said I don't understand how you can be a straight A+ student and get a B+
in effort. I challenged David, he had so great a potential and he was glad to drift with the flow.
I thought David had a much greater potential than he ever dreamed and yet he was satisfied
with where he was.
PEOPLE NEVER PLAN TO FAIL, THEY FAIL TO PLAN AND THUS BECOME DOOMED
TO FAILURE. Even a dead fish can move down stream!
Can we observe that we make DELIBERATE CHOICES between good and evil? Often
times the choice is WHAT WE WANT TO DO --- and WHAT WE KNOW IS THE RIGHT THING
TO DO? To DO NOTHING is a choice! How often do we postpone making the CORRECTION?
LITTLE WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED WITHOUT MAKING THE CHOICE A GOOD DECISION.
I MADE THE REQUEST OF GOD FOR POLISHED FINISHED LUMBER WITH WHICH TO
BUILD MY LIFE AND GOD HAD THE NERVE TO GIVE ME ACORNS AND SAY: MY SON,
YOU GROW IT...
WHAT IS HINDERING YOU FROM BECOMING WHAT GOD HAS DESIGNED FOR YOU?
GOD IS THE PROVIDER! YOU ARE THE DECIDER --- IT IS UP TO YOU.
I have never seen God give people canned food. As a matter of fact, I have never seen God
give anyone a beautiful garden. GOD SAYS: HERE ARE THE SEEDS --- YOU MUST PLOW
THE GROUND. YOU MUST PLAN THE SEEDS, I WILL GIVE THE SUN AND THE RAIN. BUT
YOU MUST HARVEST AND PRESERVE IT.
LIFE ALWAYS SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE UNTIL IT IS DONE... Those people that say it can't
be done will be passed by THOSE THAT ARE DOING IT --- WHAT IS HINDERING YOU FROM
BECOMING WHAT GOD HAS DESIGNED FOR YOU?
WHAT IS HINDERING YOU FROM BECOMING WHAT GOD HAS DESIGNED FOR YOU?
NOW HERE IS THE PROMISE AND THERE IS THE PROMISE LAND --- GO OR STAY?
IT IS YOUR CHOICE?
DO WE HEAR THE PROMISE? DO WE BELIEVE THE PROMISE?
WHAT WILL WE DO WITH THE PROMISES OF GOD?
Numbers 13:27 And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and
surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. 28 Nevertheless the people be strong
that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of
Anak there. 29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and
the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.
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. 33 And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants:
and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.
Will we drown in the RED SEA and the JORDAN RIVER? Will we allow our FOCUS OF THE
EYES DEFINE US? Will we believe the NEGATIVE REPORT? WE CAN'T DO THIS?
Will we focus on the OBSTACLES or can we see THE OPPORTUNITIES before us? Things
may seem impossible? That believing a lie? Let us say they are impossible what does God say?
Luke 18:27 And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.
FEAR: WHAT IS HINDERING YOU FROM BECOMING WHAT GOD HAS DESIGNED FOR YOU?
FACTS AND FEAR CAN DISTORT THE PROMISES OF GOD... OUR ENEMY USES FEAR TO
HINDER YOU... WE MUST QUIT LISTENING AND ACCEPTING THE NEGATIVE MESSAGE
BECAUSE WE ARE AFRAID.
Luke 21:26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming
on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
INTIMIDATION DESTROYS... Once an old lady told me: BETTER MEN THAN YOU HAVE TRIED
AND FAILED... SO WILL YOU!.
WE CAN BECOME DISABLED AND HINDERED --- CRIPPLED AND PARALYZED BY WORRY
AND FEAR. ANXIETYIS A DREAM KILLER. Worry, anxiety, fear and frustration will dictate to
our FAITH, YOU CAN'T DO THAT... You will be defeated and you are going to die.
IS FEAR IS THE WAY YOU TAME A LION? The enemy tried to get the Prodigal son to
FEAR GOING HOME! But the son knew there was LOVE AT HOME...
I SHALL OVERCOME THIS FEAR AND GO HOME...
FEAR IS A TOOL OF YOUR ADVERSARY...
FEAR OF THE RED SEA? FEAR OF THE SWOLLEN FLOODED JORDAN?
FEAR OF THE GIANTS?
WHAT DO YOU SEE IN YOUR VISION? PROBLEMS? TRIALS? LIFE IS NOT FAIR?
SMOTHERED? FEAR BECOMES THE DRIVER AND CONTROLS THE DIRECTION WE GO...
FEAR HINDERS US AND KEEPS US FROM SINGING GOD'S PRAISE...
FEAR BRINGS ABOUT DISTORTIONS AND LIMITATIONS AND HINDERS US FROM
RECEIVING OUR PROMISE LAND...
Psalm 137:3 For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they
that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.
4 How shall we sing the LORD'S song in a strange land?
OUR VISUAL FIELD CAN BECOME FEAR, STRESS, WORRY TO HINDER YOU
FROM BECOMING WHAT GOD HAS PLANNED...
Hear we are STUCK IN THE RUT OF SAMENESS... WE CAN NOT TASTE VICTORY?
WE DON'T EVEN DREAM OF VICTORY?
I AM A LOSER? My family are losers? Our church people are losers?
WE ARE FOREVER TRAPPED BY FEAR AND WORRY?? The grasshoppers ---
we are grasshoppers.
WE ARE SMOTHERED. This smothered spirit has taken root and we are hindered
from progress. We will accept defeat without even fighting?
CONCLUSION: WE HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR BUT FEAR ITSELF... We must face tomorrow
without fear! Can't we see worry and fear is the FATHER OF FAILURE? What is the opposite of
FAITH? Doubt? Maybe? But FEAR AND WORRY will kill every believer's faith. FEAR AND FAITH
ARE BOTH IN YOUR MIND! THE QUESTION THEN IS ABOUT CHOICES...
This is part one in a two part series: THE RUT OF SAMENESS AND FEAR HINDERS.
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
