FAITH IS A PROCESS
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr.
Kyfingers@aol.com
TEXT:
Gen. 16:2 --- it may be that I may obtain children by her 5. And Sara said unto Abram, My wrong be up on You.
Gen. 18:13 And the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh? 14. Is anything too hard for the Lord...
Gen. 18: 15 Then Sarah denied saying, I laughed nor; for she was afraid.
Gal. 4: 22 But he who was born of the bond woman was born after the flesh; but he of the free woman was by promise.
Luke 21:19 In your patience possess ye your souls.
Hebrews 10:36 FOR YE HAVE NEED OF PATIENCE, THAT AFTER YE HAVE DONE THE WILL OF GOD, YE MIGHT RECEIVE THE PROMISE
I. DOES GOD HAVE TO DO THINGS OUR WAY?
A. I wonder why God does not do what we think He should, when we think He should?
B. I want no more pain and tears, what are You doing, God?
C. Sara knew God had a plan, but she had a better idea?
I wonder if her last name was Ford? Why, why?
D. God doesn’t want us to wait does He?
Couldn’t God give us a son now, or at least in 9 months?
E. Doctors have patients, I don’t need any, right God?
F. Sara has a little meeting of the natural minds that still causes problems in the middle east today.
G.All because my plan vs. God’s plan, which involves less tears and much less faith?
II. GOD I AM TELLING YOU DO IT MY WAY! NOW!
A. Come over here Hagar, let’s do the work of God.
We can help God, can’t we?
Gen. 16:2 --- it may be that I may obtain children by her.
5. And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be up on You.
B. Is it amazing how easy it is to blame others for our choices?
We build something by our words and actions.
C. Not only did Sarah make some bad choice so did Hagar the bondwoman.
We can get angry at God for what time brings about, but the bondage of poor words and poor attitudes, bring about poor choices.
D. Why did Sarah deny laughing?
Fear? Fear of what? God grows his people by exposing to personalities with many different views, and molding us in unity to COME TOGETHER!
III. WHERE DO WE ACCEPT OUR CHOICES AND CONSEQUENCES?
A. Personalities are not born, they are developed.
Gal. 4: 22 But he who was born of the bond woman was born after the flesh; but he of the free woman was by promise.
B. Read Genesis 16, Hagar and Ishmael had a promise, seems bitterness caused them to develop hatred toward others.
IV.How sad that bitterness and personality differences can hinder the PROMISES of God?
A.Yes, there is a promise, but why not now, anyway?
B. See, Sara and Hagar forgot FAITH IS A PROCESS, NOT A ONE TIME ACTION.
C. Faith is a journey that develops by choices. Just because we have personality differences --- does not have to stop us from blending.
E. What if Sarah and Hagar made better choices and blended with the promises of God?
V. WE ARE GROWING TOGETHER OR APART?
A. We are not just talking about battling personalities, this can become an internal problem with the flesh and spirit battling each other.
B. It is possible to fight and dislike yourself.
Do you have a victim spirit or a victory spirit?
C. God takes time and polishes His child into rare gems to sparkle the impossibilities of man, that are but naught to the Mighty God that rules the universe by His own time schedule, and in His own way.
VI. WE ARE ALL ON A JOURNEY.
A. Real reliance on God is not a final destination but the whole journey?
B. We seem to never attain completeness here?
C. How sad when we laugh at the Plan of God, then deny the laughter?
D. There is something worse than laughing at the Plan of God, it is crying and whining continually, for we fail to see the process and the growth towards the Light as a tool of the Hand of the Almighty.
VII. THIS IS NOT EASY!
Luke 21:19 In your patience possess ye your souls.
A. What?
There are two dirty words in the modern church,
one is submission and the other is patience.
B. We get so tired of the people we are around and if we were in a different place things would be different, WHAT A LIE??
C. We don’t need a different field, we need a different attitude?
D. We need to quit counting all the things we don’t have and start loving the things that we do have.
E. If things are rotten where you are, things would become rotten where you would go?
F. For life is but a mirror?
If a DONKEY peers into a mirror, don’t expect to see a prophet?
VIII. WHAT DO WE NEED?
A. Look at Hebrews 10:36 FOR YE HAVE NEED OF PATIENCE, THAT AFTER YE
HAVE DONE THE WILL OF GOD, YE MIGHT RECEIVE THE PROMISE.
B. Many of us stand on the promises, but when the winds blow contrary to our plans, we see the storm not God’s plan?
C. As long as Peter saw Jesus, he walked.
When he saw the storm and felt the wind, Peter lost his focus and crisis changed the walk of faith to a sinking ministry.
D. We often talk about Peter, why not talk about the eleven sitting in the comfort zone that never heard the voice of the Messiah bid them to COME.
My friend, you have heard the voice, you will never find peace and safety in peace and safety.
IX. BRING IT TO GOD
LET GO & LET GOD!
AS CHILDREN BRING THEIR BROKEN TOYS,
WITH TEARS FOR US TO MEND,
I BROUGHT MY BROKEN DREAMS TO GOD,
BECAUSE HE IS MY FRIEND.
BUT THEN INSTEAD OF LEAVING HIM
IN PEACE TO WORK ALONE,
I HUNG AROUND AND TRIED TO HELP,
WITH WAYS THAT WERE MY OWN.
AT LAST, I SNATCHED THEM BACK AGAIN
AND CRIED, "HOW CAN YOU BE SO SLOW?"
"MY CHILD," HE SAID, "WHAT COULD I DO?
YOU NEVER DID LET GO." Author unknown.
Sometimes, I have found myself needing this poem.
May it minister to you.
I need reminding some times.
XI. GOD HAS A PLAN
A. Is perfect peace available? I ask you, be honest, is perfect peace available to those that serve the risen Savior? Yes? And No?
Well, that is up to you if you have perfect peace?
Isaiah 26:3 THOU WILT KEEP HIM IN PERFECT PEACE WHOSE MIND IS STAYED ON THEE, BECAUSE HE TRUSTETH IN THEE. ...
B. WE NOW HAVE THE FORMULA, We see why we lose our peace, we don’t trust the plan and timing of God.
C.There is a free woman, there is a bond woman.
Both are women? What is the difference? Attitude comes into play.
D. We let our mind focus the wind and the waves, and we lose the precious gift of peace that Jesus has designed for the focus of faith.
E. Your faith must quit seeing the storms, your faith must ignore the water running up your legs, we must have a fixed mind, fixed not on personalities and problems, for it is not by might, it is not by power, ....
That is where we focus, .., BUT RATHER IT IS IN HIS SPIRIT.
F. Victim? Or Victor?
Share, cooperate, unity, buildup, edify, grow, learn ---
Make wise choices, overcome the battle of flesh vs. spirit by making wise choices and sowing good seed.
If you want strawberries don’t sow corn?
XII. COME NEARER TO GOD.
A. Can you hear the invitation? COME, COME CHILD ... RECEIVE MY PEACE.
B. People can be sandpaper and abrasives, but differences can build stronger people. Personality conflicts are opportunities to blend and grow.
C. We can develop CREATIVE USE OUT OF CONFLICT.
D. JESUS PICKED DIFFERENT MEN FROM DIFFERENT WALKS AND ATTITUDES,
NOT TO BATTLE BUT TO BUILD A STRONG BASE OF SUPPORT.
E. You can’t climb very high on a ladder by knocking others off.
Psa. 133:1 How good and beautiful when brothers dwell together in unity.
F. We must diffuse a spirit and tone of love and unity that blends personalities and overcomes problems. Separation hurts the cause of the cross. Oceans and seas separate people. Distance separates people, but the problems from personalities causes such great distances that a bridge cannot be build to bring unity.
Is unity plural? Yes, it involves at least two.
G. You only love God the most,
as you love individuals the least!
Personality conflicts are a part of daily living.
If two people agree on everything, one of them is brain dead!
Some people are bouncy, some loud, some still and quiet,
but we are a team, we must overcome personality conflicts and problems.
If we are united at the cross, we be brethren.
History could be different if Hagar and Sarah had come together?
His servant,
Wade Martin Hughes Sr.
Kyfingers@aol.com
Pass it on?
