REFUSE TO LET GO… VS SHAKE IT OFF… GET OFF MY BACK!
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com (YouTube Wade Hughes)
(Props: I have 6 fishing worms to represent baby snakes, I have one huge rubber snake to represent a huge problem as an obstacle that will be impossible to over come. I use the story at the end of the lesson.)
TEXT:
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Philippians 4:17 Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.
GET OFF MY BACK? WE MUST SHAKE OFF FEAR AND DEFEAT… ATTITUDES WILL MAKE OR BREAK YOU. I WILL GO DOWN TRYING!
BABE RUTH THE GREAT BASEBALL PLAYER HAS A FEW LESSONS FOR US… WE KNEW BABE AS THE HOME RUN KING.
Babe Ruth often said: “THE LOUDEST BOOS ALWAYS COME FROM THE CROWD IN THE CHEAPEST SEATS.”
In Babe Ruth’s day to strike out was a disgrace. WE KNOW BABE RUTH AS THE HOME RUN KING. Babe had 714 home runs in his career. There are some hidden facts of his career he was walked 2,062 times. WHAT ABOUT HIS STRIKE OUTS? BABE HAD 1,33O STRIKES OUT. Seems either Babe knocked a home run or he would strike out. In 1923 Babe Ruth struck out more times than any other player in the major league.
BATH RUTH HAD NO FEAR OF STRIKING OUT. THIS WAS WHAT MADE RUTH’S CAREER SO GREAT… HE STRUCK OUT ALMOST 2x’s for every home run he hit. WE KNOW BABE RUTH as one of the greatest players in Baseball’s Major League. He would knock a home run or going down trying.
GET OFF MY BACK? WHY? LIFE MAY SEEM TO BE FULL OF HARD DEMANDS. WE MUST REALIZE WE CAN’T ALWAYS SEE AND UNDERSTAND THE OBSTACLES THAT CAN BE OPPORTUNITIES BEFORE US.
I read story of a billionaire and his son. The son was spoiled and received everything he desired. The son demanded a a brand new MERCEDES-BENZ –AMG-SL CLASS with the super powerful twin-turbo V-8 engine. The Mercedes can do 161 mph. The car the son looked at was over $200,000. On the son’s 18TH birthday and high school graduation, he had demanded his father to give him this MERCEDES- BENZ.
Finally the date of the 18th birthday rolled around. The dad called his son into his office and gave the boy a small package and sang happy birthday. The young son was furious, he told his dad all about the Mercedes-Benz he wanted. The young son went stomping out of the mansion carrying the small package. He threw the box in the trunk and peeled out of the driveway in a BMW. How unthoughtful and mean he thought his dad was. The box rode around in the trunk several years. The boy was ashamed of his dad and the gift.
One day the son was watching the national news and heard that a famous billionaire tycoon had been killed in a freak automobile accident. As he watched the news revealed it was his dad that he had not seen in several years. The son ran out to his trunk and pulled out the box. The box contained a Bible. There was a note in his dad’s handwriting. It said: IN THIS BOOK YOU WILL FIND GOD’S WORD. THESE WORDS WILL REVEAL GOD HAS A PLAN FOR YOU, LIVE WISELY. LOVE YOUR DAD. There was another note… I went by the MERCEDE-BENZ DEALERSHIP TO PICK YOU OUT ANY MERCEDES YOU DESIRE. I DID NOT KNOW WHAT COLOR YOU WANTED. There was a receipt that said: PAID IN FULL, LET MY SON HAVE THE PICK OF ANY VEHICLE HE CHOOSES. JUST GIVE HIM THE KEYS TO ANY CAR HE DESIRES. I HAVE PAID IN FULL. DAD.
WILL WE LEARN THE LESSON OF SHAKING OFF THE OBSTACLES? PAUL LEARNED SOMETHINGS YOU CAN’T FIX… YOU JUST HAVE TO LET GO AND TRUST… SHAKE IT OFF. GET OFF MY BACK.
PAUL LEARNED HE HAD TO INVEST HIS ALL TO GROW HIS CALL… GOD CLEARLY CALLED PAUL BUT PAUL HAD TO LEARN TO SHAKE OFF THE OBSTACLES, PROBLEMS AND THORNS… TO ACHIEVE GOD’S PURPOSE AND PLAN. We must let let go and let God…
2 Corinthians 12:8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
GET OFF MY BACK? WE MUST LEARN WE DON’T CORRECT OUR PROBLEMS AND THEN COME TO THE LIGHT OF THE LORD…. WE MUST COME TO THE LORD AND HE WILL HELP US CORRECT AND GROW…
God gives us white robes. A judge wears black robes. We are not given a judge’s robe.
What size do God’s white robes come? One size. JESUS SIZE… we must grow to fit in the white robe.
SAUL LEARNS TO SHAKE IT OFF… SAUL HAD TO BE BLINDED TO SEE THE LIGHT… SAMSON SAW MORE WHEN HE WAS BLIND THAN THE FOCUS OF THE FLESH ON WOMEN. IN THREE DAYS OF BLINDNESS SAUL SAW THE VISION… THE PREACHER COMES AND LAYS HIS HANDS AND SAUL BECOMES PAUL. WHO ARE YOU LORD?
Acts 9:15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: 16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.
TO SHAKE IT OFF MEANS YOU CAN’T LISTEN TO ALL THE NEGATIVE WORDS THAT OTHERS SPEAK.
Acts 28:3 And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand. 4 And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live. 5 And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm.
DO WE LIVE UNDER THE MILLSTONE PRINCIPLE… WILL YOU GO SWIMMING WITH THE MILLSTONE AWARD? DO WE REFUSE TO LET GO OF THE PAST… IT CAN BECOME A MILLSTONE AROUND OUR NECK.
The millstone was used to grind wheat, grain and olives. Millstones weighed from 100 to 1,000 pounds. We must avoid swimming with a millstone tied around our necks. LEARN THE LESSON OF SHAKING IT OFF… WATCH YOUR THOUGHTS, YOUR THINKING PATTERNS, THE WORDS YOU SPEAK… NEVER BE THE WILLFUL CAUSE OF STUMBLING PEOPLE.
Matthew 18:6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
GET OFF MY BACK? THE PUNISHMENT FOR MURDERERS AND CRIMINALS WAS SIMPLE?
I am told that the punishment for murder during the Roman rule was to SHACKLE the corpse of the dead person faced to face with the convicted murderer and he had to carry the decaying body around every place that he went… The guilty party had to live the rest of his days hand tied to hand, waist to waist, foot to foot. THE WEIGHT AND THE STENCH WOULD BRING A TERRIBLE END TO THE GUILTY.
Matthew 6:14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
MAY IT BE KNOWN THAT UNFORGIVENESS HAS CYCLES OF BITTERNESS AND TERRIBLE CONSEQUENCES. WE HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO SHAKE THE THORNS AND THE SNAKES OFF.
CONCLUSION: DO WE HAVE PRAYING, GIVING AND COMPASSIONATE PEOPLE THAT CAN CHANGE HISTORY. WE MUST SHAKE IT OFF… DO WE ALLOW CIRCUMSTANCES AND SITUATIONS TO DEFINE OUR WORDS AND ACTIONS? We need people that HAVE A HEART and KNOW HOW TO FORGIVE AND PRAY. The golden rule can change our attitudes. BE A CHEERFUL GIVER. We must return to THE FEAR OF GOD AND BE FAITHFUL. WE MUST DO MORE THAN CHANGE THE CIRCUMSTANCES, WE MUST CHANGE OUR THINKING PATTERNS AND OUR MINDSETS TO GODLY ATTITUDES.
40 YEARS AGO I HAD A VIVID DREAM THAT SUSTAINED ME THROUGH SOME DARK SEASONS OF BETRAYAL.
( I explain I use no live props in my illustrations and there is nothing to fear. I have 6 rubber fishing earth worms in my illustration to attach to my right hand. I move them to my left hand. I have hidden under my vest a large rubber snake attached to my chest.)
Sometimes I eat pizza before I go to bed? In this dream I have 6 little baby snakes latched on to my right hand. I grab the baby snakes in my left hand and calmly ran into the INFIRMARY where a nurse practitioner was on duty. I was trying to stay calm. I approached her and I ask her would these 6 baby snakes fangs would be FATAL (DEADLY) to me? She said one baby snake bite would not normally be fatal, BUT SHE DID NOT KNOW ABOUT THE SUM TOTAL OF THE SIX SNAKES COULD BE.
I STARTED GETTING REAL DIZZY AND FELT LIKE I WAS GOING TO PASS OUT. I FELT SOMETHING UNDER MY SHIRT. THE WAS A HUGE 6 FEET LONG SNAKE WRAPPED AROUND ME AND THE HUGE SNAKE’S FANGS WERE BURIED INTO MY CHEST. I HEARD THE NURSE PRACTITIONER WHISPER: UH-OH, YOU ARE DEAD MEAT. THERE IS A ZERO PERCENTAGE OF SURVIVAL.
I woke up and the dream was so troubling. I went into our front room and prayed. My Bible fell open to the book of JOB, chapter 5. There was only one verse I could read by the light of the fire place. It was verse five in the Parallel Bible.
Job 5:19 He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee.
Job 5:19 (MSG) From one disaster after another he delivers you; no matter what the calamity, the evil can't touch you—
Job 5:19 (NIV) From six calamities he will rescue you; in seven no harm will befall you.
Job 5:19 (NLT2) From six disasters he will rescue you; even in the seventh, he will keep you from evil.
The very next day I receive a crushing blow from circumstance out of my control. I was crushed and I did not think I could spiritual survive this situation. I fell on the altar at church and wept until I had every thread on a bath towel wet. A STILL SMALL VOICE SPOKE DIRECTLY TO MY HEART… THE HOLY SPIRIT WARNED YOU LAST NIGHT ABOUT 6 TROUBLES, 6 DISASTERS, 6 CALAMITIES --- THAT EVEN IN 7 TERRIBLE CIRCUMSTANCE GOD WAS THERE TO DELIVER HIS PEOPLE. I got up from the altar folded up the towel and said: MY GOD I TRUST YOU… GOD YOU KNEW ABOUT THIS PROBLEM LAST NIGHT AND YOU WARNED ME. This is not a STUMBLING BLOCK this situation is a STEPPING STONE TO COMPLETE DELIVERANCE. 35 YEARS LATER I SEE THIS 6 SNAKES, NO 7 AS A SEASON OF TESTING AND DELIVERANCE. GOD’S WORD SUSTAINED ME DURING A DEADLY ATTACK. I HAVE MADE IT THIS FAR.
I GIVE EACH PERSON A SMALL RUBBER FISHING WORM TO REMIND THEM GOD HAS PLAN AND HE WILL DELIVER US… JUST HANG IN THERE. GOD CAN HANDLE THESE DISASTERS AND TROUBLES. WAIT ON THE LORD.
2 Peter 2:9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:
I CALL TO THE ALTAR AND SUPPLY THEM WITH A PROMISE… A LITTLE RUBBER WORM… THROUGH 6 NO 7 CALAMITIES GOD WILL DELIVER US. THIS OBSTACLE IS AN OPPORTUNITY.
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com (YouTube: Wade Hughes)
