Title: “Overcoming Obstacles”
Text: Philippians 4: 13
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
If you think you’re beaten, you are.
If you think you dare not, you don’t.
If you Like to win, but you think you can’t, it’s almost certain you won’t.
If you think you’ll lose, you’ve Lost.
It’s all in the state of mind.
I don’t agree with everything in this little poem, but there is a lot of Truth to it!
Last Sunday Morning, I made the statement, “Our Thoughts Today Determine who we will be Tomorrow.” Your Life today is the outcome of what you have thought through the years to this very moment.
Proverbs 23: 7
“For as he thinks in his Heart, so is he....”
I asked you the question, “How are we suppose to Think in order to become the person that God would have us to be?” That isn’t a silly question, because if we don’t Think Right----we won’t Live Right!
Philippians 2: 5
“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”
I told you last Sunday that if we are going to Walk like Jesus Walked then we are going to have to begin to Think like Jesus Thinks! If we don’t discipline ourselves to Think Right, we will never Walk Right!
We Need To Learn to Think Right
1. How Do You Think About Yourself?
-God doesn’t want you to Arrogant & Proud.
-But you need to see yourself the way He sees you!
2. How do you think about your Circumstances?
I told you that we could not always control our circumstances in Life. But we can control the way that we respond to our circumstances. Paul said, “I have learned in whatsoever state that I am in to be Content.”
3. How Do You Think About Others?
Your Thoughts determine your Relationships. Do you see people the way that God sees people? If you don’t, you won’t Treat them the way that God wants them to be Treated.
4. How Do You Think About God?
-Do you see Him as someone Impossible to Please?
-Do you see Him with a Score Pad in His Hand?
-Do you see Him as a Task Master?
-Or do you see Him as a God or Mercy & Grace?
-Do you see that He Really Loves you........
If you see God in a Positive Manner, then you are going to want to Spend Time in Prayer & in His Word.
But if you don’t see God in a Proper Perspective then you aren’t going to want to spend time in His Word, in Prayer or with His People.
5. How Do You See Your Wife & Children?
-Is she the “Old Lady”?
-Or is she a “Gift from God”?
-Are the children “Blessings or Burdens”?
-Your Thoughts will Affect Your Actions!
I. God Wants You To Succeed.
I have felt this all of my Life, but I haven’t spent a lot of time thinking about it. But just like I want my children to Succeed in Life----God wants you to be Successful Also. We need to know this!
3 John 1: 2
“Beloved, I pray that you may Prosper in all things & be in health, just as your soul prospers.”
I believe that many times that we have a wrong definition of Prosperity. It is more than having Money in the Bank. But it is being in Right Relationship with God & doing what He has called you to do!
Philippians 4: 13
“I can do all thing through Christ who Strengthens me.”
Do you Truly believe that you can Accomplish the Things that God has asked you to do? Paul didn’t say that he could do all things through his power, but he said, “I can do all things through Christ“.
Paul drew his Identity & his Strength from Christ. Moreover, Paul didn’t desire to do anything that was apart from Christ’s Purpose for His Life!
Paul sought to do only what Christ had Called him to do & Equipped him to do. He said, “I can do these things because Christ is fulfilling His Purpose in me & He is Strengthening me in the areas that I need to be Equipped.”
Every Christian can & must reach the point in making this same statement of affirmation-----”I can do all thing through Christ because my Strength comes from Him.”
1. I can be the Person that He has called me to be.
2. I can be a Godly Christian Father.
3. I can be the Husband that God wants me to become.
4. We can make this Marriage the Marriage
that God would have it to be!
5. We can face the Pressures that come our way.
6. I can accomplish whatever God has called me to do.
Friend that is not Pride in Yourself. But that is Confidence in Knowing that if God called you to do something for Him that He will Equip you to do the Job!
Philippians 1: 6
“Being Confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
II. Believe That God Is On Your Side!
The reason that David wasn’t afraid to face Goliath, no matter how big & powerful that he was, is because David knew something that Goliath didn’t know!
-He knew that God was on “His Side”.
-He knew that he couldn’t Lose with God!
-This is the reason why he wasn’t Afraid.
Hebrews 11: 6
“But without Faith it is impossible to please Him, for He who comes to God must believe that He is a Rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
-How do you get Faith?
-Not by just Listening to the Preacher?
-You get Faith by Studying the Word.
-You get Faith by getting to know Christ!
The Lord who calls you to undertake a Task also provides the Power, Courage, Wisdom & the Ability to do what He called you to do! He won’t ask you to do something & Leave you Hanging!
Do you Believe the Bible is the Word of God? Do you Believe God’s Principles Work? If you don’t believe in the Principles of the Bible then you won’t Apply them to your Life.
But if you really believe that God’s Principles Work, then you will apply them to your Life. Do you Believe the Principles of the Bible or the Principles of the World?
Do You Believe The Bible Works?
(Let me give you a few Principles)
1. The World’s Wisdom Says That A Store Must Be Open 7 Days A Week to Prosper. God’s Word Says:
Exodus 20: 9-10
“Six days you shall labor & do all your work,
“But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates.”
2. The World’s Wisdom Says, “It is Foolish To Give 10% of your Earnings to the Lord.” The Word Says:
Malachi 3: 8-10
“Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you said, “In what way have we robbed You? In tithes & offerings,
“You are cursed with a Curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation.
“Bring all of the Tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My House, & Try Me Now this, says the Lord of Hosts, If I will not open for you the windows of Heaven & Pour out a Blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.”
-Are you saying, “I can’t Afford to Give”.
-Friend it all comes from Him!
-He is the one who blessed you.
-Do you realize who your source is?
-You can’t afford to be Stingy with God!
-It all belongs to God.
-But you give the 10% back acknowledging it.
-God said, “Prove me in this”!
3. The World’s Wisdom Says, “When Someone Hurts You, to Keep Score.” God’s Wisdom Says:
Matthew 6: 12, 14-15
“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
“For if you forgive men their Trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also Forgive you.
“But if you do not forgive me their Trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your Trespasses.”
-But Pastor, You don’t know what they Did?
-You don’t know what they said!
-Maybe they didn’t do the right thing.
-But leave that up to God!
-You quit worrying about it.
-Put your Pad & Pencil Away.
-Let God take care of the Situation.
III. God Will Equip You For What He Ask You To Do.
You must remind yourself that whenever God ask you to do something that He will Enable you, Equip You & Provide all of the resources that you need to get the job done!
God will never ask you to do something that He doesn’t Equip you to do! When the Lord appeared to Moses on the Backside of the Desert & he saw the Bush Burning but it wasn‘t consumed, God got his Attention.
God said, “Moses, I want you to go back to Egypt & tell Pharaoh to Let my People Go.” Moses immediately begin to come up with a Truck-Load of Excuses.
-God I’m not able to do this Task.
-God I’m not Eloquent.
-God I’ve gotten comfortable taking care of Sheep.
-God who am I that I should go?
Exodus 3: 12
“God said, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you.”
Trust God to Do what He has Called You To Do.
God isn’t going to ask you to do something & not Equip you to be able to do what He ask you to do!
-It may be a Big Project.
-It may be Leaving Your Comfort Zone...
-It may be Letting Go of Something.....
-It may be Starting a New Ministry.
-It may seem Impossible.
-But He Specializes in Impossibility.
-If God be for You, Who can be Against....
-Realize you Can’t----But He Can!
IV. Things You Can Do To Strengthen Your Faith.
1. State with confidence, “God has Empowered me with Everything I Need To be What He Wants Me To Be & To Accomplish
what He wants me to Accomplish.”
2. Remind Yourself often of the Lord’s Promise to Make a Way When There Seems To be No Way.
-He made a way for Daniel in the Lions Den.
-He made a way for the 3 Hebrew Children.
-He Divided the Red Sea for Israel.
-God is aware of your Situation.
-And He Can Make A Way!
3. Highlight Every Verse In Your Bible That Deals With Courage, Confidence, Faith &
Believing.
4. Pray The Promises of God.
As you read the Promises in the Bible, turn them into Prayers saying, “God you have said in Your Word & I Stand upon Your Word.”
The Lord doesn’t need a Reminder, but you do! In reminding God of His Promises, you are simply reinforcing these Truths to Yourself.
5. Replace Negative Thoughts With The Truths of God’s Word.
I said, “If you Think Wrong, you can’t Live Right.” If you don’t Think like Christ you will never be able to Walk like Christ walked. But you have to do this!
6. When an Obstacle Arises, State Boldly, “If God be for me, who can be against me?” (Rms. 8: 31)
A. When you are Incapable, He is Capable.
B. When you are Weak, He is Strong.
C. When you don’t Know, He Does Know.
D. When you are Powerless, He is All-Powerful.
E. When you don’t have an Answer, He Does!
7. Remind Yourself Continually, “God Is With Me In This Situation.”
