HOW ARE YOU DOING? HOW ARE YOU REALLY DOING?
GOD GIVE US THE GIFT OF AN UNDERSTANDING HEART.
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
DO WE UNDERSTAND WHAT PLEASES GOD?
I AM BUT A CHILD IN MY THINKING! GOD I NEED UNDERSTANDING!
GOD GIVING ME AN UNDERSTANDING HEART...
THAT I MAY DISCERN GOOD AND BAD... AND HELP HURTING PEOPLE AND LEAD
THEM TO THE PRESENCE OF GOD!
TEXT:
1 Kings 3:3 And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father: only
he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places. 4 And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice
there; for that was the great high place: a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon
that altar. 5 In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said,
Ask what I shall give thee. 6 And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David
my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness,
and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that
thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. 7 And now, O LORD my
God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child:
I know not how to go out or come in. 8 And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which
thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.
9 Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern
between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?
10 And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.
11 And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself
long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but
hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment;
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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.
HOW ARE YOU DOING? NOW, TELL THE TRUTH, HOW ARE YOU REALLY DOING?
Psalm 142:4 I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me:
refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul.
Psalm 142:4 (MSG) Look right, look left— there's not a soul who cares what happens! I'm up
against it, with no exit— bereft, (BI-REFT - sad because what some one has gone through)
left alone.
Have you ever asked a friend: HOW ARE YOU DOING?
Well, the answer might depend on several factors...
WHO IS ASKING?
HOW MUCH TIME TO I HAVE TO ANSWER?
DO THEY REALLY CARE?
I was at the local post office. I had one of those "killer headaches!"
One of my super positive friends said: HOW ARE YOU PASTOR?
I could not see straight, the light was really bothering me. I had just thrown up.
I wanted to get home and get in a dark room.
I said to my POSITIVE FRIEND: I am sick, I am terribly sick. I have a terrible headache.
She looked around and whispered: SHHHH! SHHHHH! YOU BETTER BE QUIET!
I looked around and said: WHY? WHAT IS GOING ON?
She glanced around again and said: THE DEVIL MIGHT HEAR YOU SAYING YOU
HAVE A HEADACHE?
I said: HONEY, THE DEVIL CAN LOOK AT ME AND TELL I HAVE A MIGRAINE!
I have thought of this many times? Should a person lie? Who is the Father of Lies?
My opinion when talking with a dear friend we should be honest. I can't say: I AM
WONDERFUL WHEN I CAN'T FOCUS MY EYES...
Hear and understand my heart. There are times we need to wear a mask and grin
and go on.
WE NEED AN HONEST INSIGHT... WITH TACT, BALANCE AND WISDOM.
I heard a friend tell the story HIS VERY YOUNG CHILD came with a question. The
parent knew someday the question would come, but the parent was not really ready to address
their child's question.
The child had been playing with other children and came in to ask the Father:
DAD, WHERE DID I COME FROM?
So the Dad sat the child down at the dining room table and started explaining life.
The Dad had purchased a book with some general graphics and the Dad told the boy about
"THE BIRDS AND THE BEES." For an hour and a half the Dad explained as best as he could
to use terms for such a small child. It was difficult and the Dad was sweating.
The boy kept wanting to get up and go out and play. Finally the Dad said: SON, HAVE I
ANSWERED YOUR QUESTION?
The boy said: WELL, YES DAD, I GUESS? BILLY SAID HE WAS CINCINNATI. BILLY,
ASK WHERE WAS I FROM? I SAID, I WILL ASK MY DAD, HE KNOWS WHERE I AM
FROM? SO THAT IS WHY I ASK WHERE AM I FROM?
WE NEED GODLY DISCERNMENT TO UNDERSTAND WHERE ARE FRIENDS ARE.
WE MUST UNDERSTAND THEIR SITUATION... EACH CASE IS DIFFERENT.
I heard another Father take a different approach to the same question. The boy said:
DAD WHERE DID I COME FROM? The Dad knew the son was so young so he said:
SON, WE WANTED A CHILD SO BAD, SO ONE DAY I WAS WALKING THROUGH
THE WOOKS AND I FOUND YOU UNDER A ROCK. So that is how you got here...!!!
So a few days later the little boy was playing in the back yard and he decided he
would like TO HAVE A SON. He turned over a few rocks and about the third rock, the
boy saw a big bull frog near the rock he had turned over.
The boy bent down and LOOKED AT HIS NEW SON. He picked up his new son and
the new son wet all over his hand. As that warm fluid ran across the boy's hand so the
BOY LOOKED THE BIG BULL FROG RIGHT IN THE EYES AND SAID: SON, YOU ARE SO
ULGY, IF YOU WEREN'T MY SON, I WOULD GET RID OF YOU & LET YOU GO!
I ONCE HEARD A LESSON FROM RONALD REAGAN: MAN NEVER STANDS ANY
TALLER THAN WHEN HE REACHES DOWN TO HELP A FELLOW HUMAN.
Galatians 6:2 (KJV) Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:2 (NIV) Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:2 (MSG) Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their
burdens, and so complete Christ's law.
HOW ARE YOU DOING JOB? ARE WE LISTENING?
HURT PEOPLE HURT PEOPLE --- THE SNOW BALL EFFECT OF PAIN IS SELDOM
EVALUATED AND HELPED. IF WE ARE NOT CAREFUL WE HAVE A TENDANCY
OF HURTING PEOPLE...
JOB WAS GOING THROUGH ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT SEASON OF HIS WHOLE
LIFE...
It was so bad JOB'S WIFE SPOKE IN HURT:
I HAVE NEVER HEARD ONE PREACHER SPEAK WITH AN UNDERSTANDING HEART.
SISTER JOB WAS SO HURT. HER LIFE WAS CRUSHED. THEY LOST EVERYTHING.
They have been to the funeral home.
JOB IS SPIRITUAL AND PHYSICAL HURT...
LIFE NEVER MADE ANY SENSE...
JOB AND SISTER JOB NEVER SAW THE BIGGER PICTURE...
THEY COULD NOT UNDERSTAND?
Job 2:9 Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.
JOB LOVED HIS WIFE, NOT ONLY WAS HE HURT ---
HE UNDERSTOOD HIS WIFE WAS SO VERY HURT.
HOW YOU DOING, BABE?
JOB COULD HAVE SAID: BABE, YOU ARE STUPID, AND YOUR STUPIDITY HAS GOT
YOUR WORDS AND ACTIONS. JOB UNDERSTOOD --- HOW YOU DOING?
NO, HONEY, HOW ARE YOU REALLY DOING?
Job 2:10 But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What?
shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin
with his lips.
GOD HELP US HAVE INSIGHT:
HOW ARE YOU DOING?
NO, HOW ARE YOU REALLY DOING?
HOW ARE YOU JOB?
NO, REALLY, HOW ARE YOU DOING?
Job can not see at the time but JOB IS UNDER THE GREAT SATANIC ATTACK OF AN
ENEMY THAT IS DETERMINED TO DESTROY JOB.
POOR JOB, HOW ARE YOU? NO, REALLY, HOW ARE YOU?
LET'S DISCUSS 3 WISE FRIENDS THAT ARE NOT AS WISE AS THEY THINK THEY ARE...
I once read DEAR ABBY in the newspaper. A friend had a sudden death in the family.
At the Funeral Home seems many friends were painfully driving nails into the casket.
ABBY ANSWERED AND EXPLAINED TO HER, HER FRIENDS LOVED HER, THEY JUST DID
NOT KNOW HOW TO COMFORT.
Abby went on to say one of the most painful things a friend can say is:
I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE GOING THROUGH...
Abby said: NO, YOU DON'T, EVERY SITUATION IS DIFFERENT... Don't pretend you know and
have all the answers.
HOW ARE YOU DOING? JOB CAN NOT VERBALLY EXPRESS HIS HURT AND PAIN...
NO, HOW ARE YOU REALLY DOING?
LOOK AT JOB? CAN YOU REALLY SEE WHAT JOB IS GOING THROUGH??
Sure, you can see the shell, the bars of bone that imprison me...
BUT PLEASE FRIEND SEE --- THERE IS MORE--- THAN EYE VISION...
Job 2:12 And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice,
and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.
13 So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a
word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.
HOW ARE YOU DOING, BROTHER--FRIEND JOB?
SURE, I HAVE HEARD THE DEBATE, JOB'S FRIENDS WERE NOT REALLY HIS FRIENDS...
I BEG TO DIFFER WITH THAT OPINION...
Job 2:11 Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came
every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the
Naamathite: for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to
comfort him.
The Bible said: JOB'S 3 FRIENDS... pretty clear?
*1. ELIPHAZ the Temanite.
*2. BILDAD the Shuhite
*3. ZOPHAR the Naamahite.
FINALLY THE THREE OLD, WISE FRIENDS SHUT UP...
Job 32:1 So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes.
2 Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the kindred of Ram:
against Job was his wrath kindled, because he justified himself rather than God.
HOW ARE YOU DOING JOB? THEY JUST DON'T GET IT...
YET, UNDERSTAND THEY HAVE TRIED ALL THE DOCTOR PHIL, DOCTOR SPOCK,
ALL THE EXPERT RELIGIOUS JARGON AND TRADITIONAL ARGUMENTS...
AND THE FINALLY SHUT UP...
*4. ELIHU the Buzite, a young minister that ministers in anger...
PART OF THE TEST IS NOT JUST HOW ARE YOU DOING?
BUT REALLY, HOW ARE YOU DOING IN THE MIDST OF THIS STORM...
ELIPHAZ, BILDAD, ZOPHAR AND THE YOUNG WHIPPER-SNAPPER ELIHU
JUST DID NOT UNDERSTAND THE BIGGER PICTURE...
GOD HELP US SEE MORE THAN WORDS, DEEDS, ---
Part of what the 4 men said WAS RIGHT. Part of it was on TARGET...
BUT PART OF WHAT THEY SAY IS MEAN SPIRITED BECAUSE THEY LACK
REAL GOD UNDERSTANDING...
EVERYTHING REALLY CHANGES WHEN JOB AND HIS FRIEND COME INTO
A PERSONAL AREA WITH A HOLY, MIGHTY GOD...
IN THE PROCESS OF TIME...
IN GOD'S TIMING ---
Job 38:1 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,
NEVER GIVE UP...
THANK GOD FOR THE GIFT OF UNDERSTANDING...
THIS HURT, THIS PAIN IS A BUILDING BLOCK...
JOB,
GOD ASK JOB AT LEAST 63 QUESTION AND NEVER ANSWER A SINGLE QUESTION
THAT JOB HAD? THAT ELIPHAZ? THAT BILDAD? THAT ZOPHAR? OR ANGRY ELIHU?
ADDRESSED? God never responded to any of the mean accusations that the 5 men
addressed...
Job 42:1 Then Job answered the LORD, and said,
2 I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.
3 Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood
not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.
THE BOOK OF JOB IS THE STORY OF 5 MEN LEARNING THE REAL MEANING OF
UNDERSTANDING... WE NEED GOD UNDERSTANDING IN THE FAMILY, IN THE CHURCH
AND IN THE FAMILY...
Job 42:10 And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the
LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.
CONCLUSION: Common sense is not to common today. You can buy an education but
wisdom is a gift of God. Understanding requires listening as well as speaking. We are desperate
in the this world for AN UNDERSTANDING SPIRIT. Can we hear beyond the pain and the words?
GOD WE BEG FOR THE GIFT OF WISDOM TO BE SET FREE IN OUR HEARTS.
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
Enlarge the reach of my hands and share my works with others? Please?
