Struggling But Still Winning

STRUGGLING BUT STILL WINNING

(2 CORINTHIANS 4:7-9)

VERSE 7: BUT WE HAVE THIS TREASURE IN EARTHEN VESSELS, THAT THE EXCELLENCY OF THE POWER MAY BE OF GOD, AND NOT OF US.

VERSE 8: WE ARE TROUBLED ON EVERY SIDE, YET NOT DISTRESSED, WE ARE PERPLEXED, BUT NOT IN DESPAIR;

VERSE 9: PERSECUTED, BUT NOT FORSAKEN; CAST DOWN, BUT NOT DESTROYED

WHILE YOU ARE STANDING LOOK AT SOMEBODY

AND SAY I AM STRUGGLING BUT STILL WINNING

STRUGGLING BUT I AM STILL WINNING

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS I AM REMINDED OF A STORY

A MAN CAME ACROSS A CACOON

OF THE EMPEROR MOTH

HE DECIDED TO TAKE THE CACOON HOME

BECAUSE HE WANTED TO WATCH THE MOTH

EMERGE FROM IT

ONE DAY AS HE WAS WALKING PAST THE CACOON

HE SAW A TINY OPENING IN THE CACOON

SO HE PULLED UP A CHAIR

AND HE SAT DOWN

AND WATCHED FOR SEVERAL HOURS

THE MOTH STRUGGLE

BUT COULDN'T SEEM TO FORCE

ITS BODY PAST A CERTAIN POINT OF THAT CACOON

THE MAN

DECIDING THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG

HE GOT HIS KNIFE

AND HE CUT THE REMAINING BIT

OF THE CACOON

THE MOTH EMERGED EASILY

ITS BODY WAS LARGE AND SWOLLEN

ITS WINGS WAS TINY AND SWIVELED

THE MAN EXPECTED THAT IN A COUPLE OF HOURS

THOSE WINGS WOULD SPREAD OUT

INTO THEIR NATURAL BEAUTY

BUT THEY DIDN'T

INSTEAD OF THAT MOTH

BECOMING A CREATURE FREE TO FLY

THAT MOTH SPENT THE REST OF ITS LIFE

DRAGGING AROUND ON A SWOLLEN BODY

AND SWIVELED WINGS

WHAT THE MAN DIDN'T KNOW WAS

THAT THE CONSTRICTING CACOON

AND THE STRUGGLE NECESSARY

TO GET THROUGH

THAT TINY OPENING

WAS GODS WAY OF FORCING FLUID FROM THE THE MOTHS BODY

INTO THE MOTHS WINGS

THE MERCIFUL SNIP FROM THE MAN

WAS REALLY CRUELTY TO THE MOTH

SOMETIMES STRUGGLE IS EXACTLY WHAT WE NEED

IT IS THROUGH STRUGGLE

THAT MANY OF US

DISCOVER OUR WINGS

IT IS THROUGH STRUGGLE

THAT MANY OF US

LEARN HOW TO FLY

I DON'T KNOW IF YOU

REALIZED IT YET

BUT YOU ARE OUT EVERYDAY

TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IS LIFE ALL ABOUT

EVERYBODY WHETHER THE CASE IS STATED

ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IS LIFE ABOUT

WHAT IS LIFE ABOUT

DOES LIFE HAVE A PATTERN

ARE THERE ANY DESIGNS TO LIFE

I THINK I OUGHT TELL YOU THIS MORNING

THAT YOU WILL MISREAD LIFE

IF YOU THINK THAT LIFE IS A PICNIC

YOU WILL MISREAD LIFE

IF YOU THINK LIFE IS A PARTY

NAH--------NAH---------NAH

I WILL TELL YOU WHAT LIFE IS

LIFE IS A STRUGGLE

THAT IS WHAT IT IS

IT IS A STRUGGLE

IT IS A STRUGGLE FROM THE TIME

WE ARE BORN

UNTIL THE TIME

WE DIE

IT IS A STRUGGLE

IT IS A STRUGGLE

THAT IS WHY SOME Y'ALL CAN'T SAY AMEN

RIGHT NOW

IT'S A STRUGGLE

THAT'S WHY SOME OF Y'ALL CAN'T WAIVE YOUR HANDS

RIGHT NOW

IT'S A STRUGGLE

LIFE IS A STRUGGLE

CHILDREN ARE BARELY BORN YET

AND RIGHT AT THE POINT OF LIFE

THERE IS A STRUGGLE

BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH

RIGHT THERE IN THE BIRTH CANAL

THERE IS A STRUGGLE

THAT'S WHY WE ALWAYS ASK AFTER A WOMAN GIVES BIRTH

WE ALWAYS ASK HOW IS THE BABY

THEN WE ASK HOW IS THE MOTHER

AND IN SO ASKING

WE RECOGNIZE THAT

THERE HAS BEEN A STRUGGLE

AND THEN THE INFANT STRUGGLES TO CRAWL

AND THEN THE INFANT LATER ON

STRUGGLES TO WALK

LIFE IS A STRUGGLE

AND I NEED TO TELL YOU

THAT YOU WILL NEVER

UNDERSTAND LIFE

UNTIL YOU SEE IT AS A STRUGGLE

A STRUGGLE THAT IS TIED IN WITH

OUR CAPACITY TO SUFFER

SOME DAYS GOOD

AND SOME DAYS BAD

AND IT IS ALL A STRUGGLE

YOU SEE MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS

LIFE IS DIVIDED INTO 5 QUARTERS

0 TO 17 - 1st QUARTER

17 TO 35- 2nd QUARTER

36 TO 52- 3rd QUARTER

53 TO 70-4th QUARTER

71 AND UP - OVERTIME

THE AVERAGE MAN LIVES 74 YEARS

THAT IS APPROXIMATELY 8 HUNDRED 88 MONTHS

THAT IS 3THOUSAND 8HUNDRED 48 WEEKS

27THOUSAND AND 10 DAYS

THAT IS 6HUNDRED

48 THOUSAND

200 AND 40 HOURS

THAT IS 38 MILLION

8HUNDRED

94THOUSAND

4HUNDRED MINUTES

AND THAT IS 2 BILLION

22 MILLION

5 HUNDRED

8 THOUSAND

8 HUNDRED HEARTBEATS

AND IT'S ALL A STRUGGLE

AND THE REASON WE CAN WIN

IN THE MIDST OF THE STRUGGLE

IS BECAUSE OF THE TREASURE THAT GOD

HAS PUT IN EARTHEN VESSELS

1JOHN 4:4- YE ARE OF GOD, LITTLE CHILDREN, AND HAVE OVERCOME

THEM: BECAUSE GREATER IS HE THAT IS IN YOU, THAN HE THAT IS IN THE

WORLD

THEN WHEN YOU GO TO REVEREND DOCTOR PREACH BROTHER PAUL

LETTER TO ALL WHO BE AT ROME

ROMANS 8:31- WHAT SHALL WE THEN SAY TO THESE THINGS?

IF GOD BE FOR US, WHO CAN BE AGAINST US?