SMALL THINGS? YOU MAY NEVER SEE? YOU MAY NEVER KNOW?
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com (Two part)
A VICTIM SPIRIT WILL OFTEN SAY: LORD, I DON’T KNOW HOW I AM GOING TO DO THIS? WE NEED TO HAVE THE ATTITUDE TO SPEAK: LORD, I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE HOW YOU ARE GOING TO HANDLE THIS! Can we realize often what we think the problem is not the problem? Maybe the problem is our focus?
WE KNOW THERE ARE MANY GREAT QUESTIONS FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE AGES… ONE OF THOSE GREAT QUESTIONS IS WHAT ABOUT SMALL THINGS? There can be a great spiritual battle because we tend to overlook small things…
LITTLE THINGS? 1. WHY BE A VICTIM? WHY CARRY THIS LOAD? 2. WHY SHOULD WE ALLOW OURSELVES TO BECOME SATANIC BAIT?
We need to acknowledge small things build our words, our behavior, our deeds and our attitudes. You are a product of your small, menial choices. CHOICES HAVE CONSEQUENCES… At death we will be remembered by small things…
1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
WE CAN’T SEE ROOTS? ARE WE ALLOWING LITTLE THINGS TO SLOWLY TAKE ROOTS THAT DEFINE US AS VICTIMS? ARE WE SLOWLY GROWING TOWARD SPIRITUAL DEATH… GRADUALNESS… DO WE FORGET HOW SMALL THINGS MATTER?
Nobody loves me... I am not appreciated as I should be... People are mean to me... CRUEL... I AM OPPRESSED... Heavy, weighed down, BURDENED IN SPIRIT…
Hebrews 12:15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
LITTLE THINGS? STARVED TO DEATH FULL OF FOOD?
Matthew 24:10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
We raised 100 Rhode Island Red chickens. Japanese people came every Friday and bought every fresh brown egg we had. I am from the city and know very little about farm animals. One of my best laying hens was dead? I was concerned and I asked Bob, a dear friend, to look at my dead chicken as I never wanted disease to hurt us.
Bob looked at my chicken and immediately identified the problem. BOB said “SUITCASE CRAWL.” Chickens do not have teeth. They have a crawl. The chickens eat shell or small rocks that grind the food before it goes in the stomach. Bob told me the chicken starved to death? How? There is plenty of food? The hen ate plenty of food. Bob explained the food was trapped in the CRAWL. The more the hen ate the worse the problem became. THE CHICKEN STARVED TO DEATH FULL OF FOOD? TO SUFFER HURT, PAIN AND INJURY... everything is hard, the earth iron... heaven is brass... Everyone you know are HEADSHRINKERS, people torture you... YOU ARE PUTTING EVERY EGG IN YOUR ENEMY'S BASKET...
SMALL THINGS DESTRUCTION? DESTRUCTION BY A LITTLE SMALL VINE?
Zechariah 4:10 For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth.
There is a true story about the KUDZU VINE that has invaded the southern USA. The KUDZU VINE came from China that was introduced in the south to help control EROSION and save our environment. Once KUDZU VINES STARTS GROWING IT IS RAMPANT and can grow and take over vast areas of land in one year. We have a serious problem that KUDZU VINES threaten the trees and forest.
KUDZU was introduced in the 1876 World’s Fair in Philadelphia. Congress declared war on soil erosion and opened up 70 million vines to grow in nurseries around the south. The government offered farmers $8.00 an acre to anyone that would plant KUDZU on their farms. Thousands of acres of land was destroyed by drought and the barren land needed a “healing touch” for plants to turn the land green again.
All along new highway cuts and railroad development erosion was destroying the land. THE MIRACLE VINE that would save the south. Seems there was a curse with the miracle vine. The KUDZU VINE was a lot like JACK AND THE BEANSTALK. Soon the KUDZU PLANT WAS KILLING THOUSANDS OF TREES AS THE VINE WAS COVERING GOOD HEALTHY TREES AND CHOKING OUT THE LIGHT. KUDZU soon swallowed up junk yards, houses and destroyed thousands of acres of public and private forests.
IN 1998 CONGRESS OFFICIALLY PASSED A LAW THAT LISTED KUDZU A FEDERAL NOXIOUS WEED ACT. Today the invasive KUDZU VINE IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM… The NORMAN WILDER FOREST was taken over by a solid area of KUDZU. Many states, North Carolina, Mississippi, Kentucky, Florida and others have become canopies covered that destroys and kills by SMOTHERING OUT THE LIGHT. SLOW DEATH BY A SMALL THING… I AM A VICTIM.
SMALL BEETLES ARE SWEEPING ACROSS THE USA.
In southern Colorado SPRUCE BEETLES have killed 1.9 million acres of spruce trees, this is roughly 41% of the fir and spruce trees… small bugs.
DO WE REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE HOW IMPORTANT SMALL THINGS ARE? IT IS EASY TO DEVELOP AND FEED A VICTIM SPIRIT... ONCE WE ACCEPT THE WORDS, ATTITUDES AND DEVELOP A THOUGHT PATTERN...
WE CAN FALL INTO THE TRAP... I AM A VICTIM... THE WORLD OWES ME...
There was a huge OAK TREE that towered over everything that grew around it...This GIANT OAK TREE was massive and grew in diameter and in height. What could threaten this MASSIVE TREE? Over the years a TINY LITTLE VINE started creeping slowly up the trunk... The vine sent out little tiny things called CREEPERS...The mass of these tiny creepers ... became massive feelers... Finding their way around the OAK, then up the OAK... THIS HUGE OAK WAS TAKEN OVER BY THE LITTLE VINE ONE INCH AT A TIME. THE VINE SQUEEZED THE LIFE OUT OF THE OAK... The OAK could no longer receive the light needed to grow...
THE SMALL CREEPER SLOWLY GROWS AND CHOKES OUT THE LIFE. CAN WE UNDERSTAND HOW EASY IT IS FOR WORDS, ATTITUDES AND THOUGHT PATTERNS TO GROW FROM SMALL LITTLE SINS. UNTIL THERE IS ACCEPTANCE OF SIN AS A NORM...
BIG DEAL? SO WHAT? SMALL THINGS? FAILURE? SO WHAT? SEEMS EVERYONE IS MURMURING AND COMPLAINING…
GOD SPOKE VERY CLEARLY ASKING MOSES TO DO A SMALL THING.
Numbers 20:8 Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.
Moses was tired. Moses was weary. Be careful what you do when you are tired and weary. Small things can bring big troubles. Two small things Moses did: MOSES REBUKED THE PEOPLE and then MOSES HITS THE ROCK 2 TIMES… SO WHAT?
Numbers 20:9 And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him. 10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? 11 And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.
DISOBEDIENCE MAY SEEM SMALL… What may seem small and insignificant to you REVEALS A DEEPER ISSUE, DOUBT --- UNBELIEF. Moses’ action turned the event into a CIRCUS LIKE ATMOSPHERE. It was more theatrical to scream and holler than just speaking.
Numbers 20:12 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.
VICTIM? VICTOR? LET US SHOUT? GOD IS WITH US? SMALL ISSUES? BIG ISSUES? WHY DO WE HAVE TO ENDURE TRIALS AND DISCOURAGEMENT? THE VISIBLE SIGN OF GOD’S PRESENCE WAS THE ARK OF THE COVENANT… ELI WAS THE OLD PREACHER, HE ALLOWED HIS TWO SONS HOPHNI AND PHINEHAS TO DO SOME SMALL THINGS THAT HE KNEW WAS WRONG. (SIN)
The Preacher’s sons abused the offerings by abusing the sacrifices and offerings? BIG DEAL? Then Hophni and Phinehas had eyes of lust and caused them and women to sin? BIG DEAL? WE MAY SHOUT TO THE TOP OF OUR VOICE but if God is not with us the shout is empty vanity. IS THIS A BIG DEAL?
1 Samuel 4:5 And when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again.
1 Samuel 4:10 And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man into his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen. 11 And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.
BIG DEAL? HOPHNI AND PHINEHAS DIE… ELI IS 98 YEARS OLD. HE IS SITTING ON THE WALL WAITING FOR NEWS FROM THE BATTLE. ELI FALLS TO HIS DEATH. SMALL DEALS ADD UP TO BIG DEALS? ELI’S DAUGHTER IN LAW DIES AS SHE IS HAVING A SON: ICHABOD: GOD’S GLORY HAS DEPARTED.
CONCLUSION:
One of the problems in ministry is becoming depressed that the message is not applauded or appreciated. It is a delusion that we measure success by numbers.
Did God call Philip from a city revival to the desert to preach to one man? How many hands are hanging down today because we think 30,000 beats 300? What say you Gideon? If you can’t preach your heart out to a small crowd, what makes you think you can to a large crowd? Which is more important success or faithfulness?
Quit all the comparisons: IT IS ABOUT GOD’S GLORY. HAGGAI and ZECHARIAH LEARNED TO ENCOURAGE THOSE THAT WERE DOING A WORK THAT SEEMED SMALL IN THEIR OWN EYES. Get excited.
Haggai 2:2 Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the residue of the people, saying, 3 Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?
Haggai 2:7 (KJV)
7 And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.
A SNOW STORM? SMALL? BIG DEAL? TRAVEL WITH ME TO JANUARY 6, 1850 IN COLCHESTER, ENGLAND. It was a bitter cold Sunday. Few people attended church that day in the PRIMITIVE METHODIST CHURCH ON ARTILLERY STREET. It was so bad that not even the pastor showed up. The service appeared to be a BIG LOSE. A man in the crowd that was not a speaker or a preacher took his Bible and turned to ISAIAH 42:22 and read and briefly spoke. The text did not make a lot of sense. One word: RESTORE.
Isaiah 42:22 But this is a people robbed and spoiled; they are all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison houses: they are for a prey, and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore.
It was such a bitter cold blizzard. A young 15 year old boy came in the church to warm himself. The young boy accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior that day after hearing the sermon as crazy as it was.
YOU HAVE PROBABLY HEARD OF THAT 15 YEAR OLD BOY: HIS NAME IS CHARLES SPURGEON. Charles Spurgeon was known as the PRINCE OF PREACHERS. Charles Haddon Spurgeon preached to millions in every country of the world. Spurgeon preached on the average of 13 times a week. He drew crowds up to 23,000 people. His written work sold over 56 million copies in 40 different languages.
***SPURGEON WROTE: DON’T HOLD BACK BECAUSE YOU CAN’T PREACH IN ST. PAULS CATHEDRAL. BE CONTENT TO TALK TO ONE OR TWO IN A COTTAGE. YOU MAY COOK IN SMALL POTS AS WELL AS IN BIG ONES. EVEN A SMALL DOG CAN BARK AND WAKE UP THE MASTER AND SAVE THE HOUSE. DO WHAT YOU DO RIGHT THOROUGHLY, PRAY OVER IT HEARTILY, AND LEAVE THE RESULT TO GOD.
Spurgeon was invited to preach in ISLEHAM, England. The team borrowed the largest church in town. They were expecting hundreds of people. There were 7 people there. 7! His sermon was one of the greatest sermons he ever preached, remember to 7 people. At that night service the church was filled beyond capacity, standing room only… GOD DOES NOT CALL US TO SUCCESS, GOD CALLS US TO FAITHFULNESS. Preach to the invisible.
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
Lift up your head. Be faithful to your post of duty.
