Becoming Resilient
Good Morning
Stand with me and lift up your bible and repeat after me.
This is my Bible.
I am what it says I am.
I can do what it says I can do.
I am going to learn how to be what it says I can be.
Today I will learn more of the word of God.
The indestructible, never ending, living word Of God.
I will never be the same.
I will never be the same.
In Jesus Name
What does it mean to be resilient?
Today we are going to work on that becoming part of our lives in our walk through life with the Lord.
According to the Webster Dictionary this is the definition of resilient. : characterized or marked by resilience: such as.
a : capable of withstanding shock without permanent deformation or rupture.
b : tending to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change.
Hmmmmmmm?
Sounds like life as we know it doesn’t it?
Resilience is typically defined as the capacity to recover from difficult life events or in my definition.
“To persevere.”
One of my favorite stories to relate to that is about Thomas Edison and his vison to create the light bulb.
The story goes that "Thomas Edison failed more than 1,000 times when trying to create the light bulb". When asked about it, Edison allegedly said, "I have not failed 1,000 times. I have successfully discovered 1,000 ways to NOT make a light bulb."
With all that is going on in our lives today do we need to learn more about how to persevere?
Who is another good example of someone who persevered?
How about Jesus?
He has done so while He was here on earth, when He returned after dying on the cross, and His presence in our lives today.
Here are a few examples of resilient people in the bible.
Job. The first, and perhaps the most popular story in the Bible that comes to mind is the story of Job. His example was one of extreme pain and sorrow.
Jeremiah. Jeremiah was blessed by God and called to preach God’s word to his people. He is a great example of perseverance by continuously preaching and teaching the word of God despite all that was done to him.
The apostle Paul. Paul is the ultimate example of perseverance in the New testament. No one had a better conversion story than Paul. He went from killing Christians to becoming one.
Get your bibles and turn with me to a familiar story.
Turn with me to Luke Chapter 18:1
Say, “Amen” when you are there.
This is a story a persistent person.
Let us read verses 1 through 8.
Why was she the way she was?
Because she had been through many things in her life and realized that her faith was all that she had that no one could change or take away from her. She was a widow and in that time it would have been very difficult for a woman to be on her own. But she persisted and Jesus used that to teach us about being persistent.
I have a question.
Has anyone here gone through a time where you have had to be persistent and you had to be patient?
And as you were patient you saw things slowly fall into place. But as they fell into place you might have seen things not turning out the way you had hoped they would? But you were able to handle it......
That is becoming resilient.
Resilience is a trait that we learn as we grow up from being a child into adulthood but it is also in our faith walk.
When I first accepted Jesus into my heart, I felt new in many ways but old in many others.
This may sound like something you may be experiencing or have gone through in your life. Change happens with a relationship with Jesus.
But our life with Christ is not a cake walk.
We will go through trials and tribulations as God allows in our everyday life.
We also will go through things that amaze us so much that we know it was directed and guided by the Lord Jesus Christ in such a way that we realize it had to be that reason.
Amen?
When I share the word of the Bible in prisons here in the state of Florida prison system, one of the things I ask before I share is;
Who here has experienced something in their life such as an accident or an overdose that should have made them no longer alive right now? If that is you, raise your hand. The room is usually full with anywhere between 75 to 120 men. Guess how many raise their hand?
Usually over half of the men in the room.
I then say, “If you should have died, why are you alive right now?” The answer is usually, “God wanted me to be”.
God gives us free will and allows us to go through things in our lives to become one with Him and also to grow in our faith. To become resilient. Amen?
Job did not want to go through all he went through but he did because? He became resilient.
Jeremiah did not want to be persecuted and probably did not really want to go through what he went through teaching about God to a people that did not want to hear it. But he did because? He became resilient.
Paul did not want be a friend or a leader with the Jews or anyone else. He wanted to be his own man forever and persecute people he did not like. God had another plan. And Paul became resilient.
How do we become more resilient?
I learned a long, long time ago that one of the best ways for me to get through life with things happening that I did not like was to get in the habit of turning the other cheek. I have been in ministry for a long time now and have been through many trials and tribulations on my own and one thing is clear.
I know how to turn the other cheek.
I know how to become more resilient.
I know who holds tomorrow in my life’s plan. Jesus.
I have been persecuted for my faith and been through many trials because of it. But because of those things happening I have learned to become more resilient because I know who is in charge. Amen?
That is what we need to do in life. There are so many bad things happening in this world right now that make life scary.
There are different diseases that are destroying lives. There are earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, and many other things that are happening in the world today.
And then there are other things. Things that are good.
Families spending quality time together because of the requirements to stay home.
People taking steps to help others but starting and running food drives.
Communities taking steps to thank those in the healthcare industry.
People in missions still out in the world sharing the love of Jesus Christ.
That is the best part.
Sharing and receiving the love of Jesus Christ.
We do not know why things happen every day that we may not want but what we can do and it is something that cannot ever be taken away, is to grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ.
You have probably heard this before but, He is the same today as He was, is, and will be forevermore.
Our time on earth may seem like an eternity but eternity is going to be;
A place of rest for the weary,
Peace for those in turmoil,
Satisfaction for those who hope,
Reward for those who strive to help others,
And a place of love and tranquility from the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever.
Let us pray....
