Remote Control

Remote Control

How To Get A Handle On Your Future

4/28/04

I. Introduction

Set up a Remote Control Obstacle Course.

Have a volunteer maneuver the RC Car/Truck through the course.

Tonight’s message is Remote Control: How to Get a Handle on Your Future. How many of ya’ll had remote control cars when you were younger? How many of ya’ll still have remote control cars? Well, if you’ve never had one, have you wanted one? Here’s the basic idea behind a remote control car or any other remote control toy: You have the power to control every move it makes with just the touch of a button. You have the power to make that object go wherever you want it to go by using the remote control in your hand.

There are also other devices that have remote controls. My CD changer in my truck has a remote control that allows me to skip to a different CD or a different song and control the movement of the CD changer. Most televisions come with remote controls that allow you to turn it on/off, change the channel and control the volume. Other electronics like DVD/VCR players, garage door openers, and other toys can be operated by a remote control.

What I want you to see tonight is that FAITH is the remote control that allows you to get a handle on your future. With your faith, you can take control of your life.

II. Read The Instructions

First of all, let’s review what faith is:

Faith – pistis – conviction, confidence, trust, belief, reliance, trustworthiness, and persuasion.

Faith is being totally convinced of something, being fully persuaded that it is real and true, enough to trust in it and rely on it, having total confidence that it will do what it says it will do.

Now, what do you have to do to exercise your faith?

Speak.

Mark 11:23 23For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, "Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.

Once you have a basic understanding of what faith is, you’re well on your way to using it as the remote control for your life. But here’s the thing, you can know everything there is to know about what a remote control is, but if you don’t know how to use that specific remote control, you’ll have a hard time making that object do what you want it to do. It’s the same thing with faith and your life. You can know what faith is, but if you don’t know how to use it, you’ll have a hard time making your life go where you want it to go.

The thing about faith that intimidates a lot of people is that they see this huge instruction book that is somewhat difficult to understand and they just think, “Well, if I just believe in God, everything will work out.” And they don’t even try to get a clue about faith. And faith is really pretty simple. In fact, it can be summed up in two words: believing and speaking.

You have to make up your mind where you want your life to go, then use your remote control to steer your life in that direction.

III. Stay The Course

James 3:2-5 NLT 2We all make many mistakes, but those who control their tongues can also control themselves in every other way. 3We can make a large horse turn around and go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. 4And a tiny rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot wants it to go, even though the winds are strong. 5So also, the tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do.

James 3:5 NLV 5The tongue is also a small part of the body, but it can speak big things.

James 3:5 MSG 5A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything--or destroy it!

Just like a bit controls a horse, like a rudder controls a ship, like a remote control controls this truck, your faith (believing and speaking) controls the course of your life.

Now, you have to know the right commands to get your life going where you want it to go. There is a story of a young man who bought a horse that had belonged to a pastor. And this pastor had trained this horse with specific commands that would get it to walk, run, and stop. He told the buyer, to get the horse to walk, just say, “Hallelujah.” To get the horse to run, just say, “Praise the Lord.” To get the horse to stop, just say, “Amen.” The buyer said, “That’s easy enough, let me try her out!” He climbed up on the horse and said, “Hallelujah.” The horse started walking. The man was starting to have a little fun, so he said, “Praise the Lord” to get her to run. The horse just took off. Up ahead, the man noticed there was a cliff, and he started to panic because he couldn’t remember what command would make the horse stop. He screamed out, “Whoa!” That didn’t work. He called out, “Sweet Jesus!” That didn’t work. He yelled, “God Almighty!” That didn’t work. Finally, he hollered, “AMEN!” And the horse stopped on a dime just before the edge of the cliff. The man let out a sigh of relief, wiped his brow and said, “Praise the Lord.”