No Matter WHAT... THANK GOD!
Rather than being "under-goers", we must be Overcomers!
Rather than being "under-goers", we must be Overcomers!
"The
trials in our life are meant to reveal the contents of our heart. So, God is not
as interested in what we did DURING the trials, as He is in what we do about
what was revealed about us THROUGH those trials." - Keith
No matter what happens, we
must come to grips with the guilty party: ourselves. Having our hearts
continually filled with praise and thankfulness to God means that we will be
able to give thanks in ALL things when the trials do come.
"And He {Jesus} said to them all, If any man will come after me,
let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” (Luke
9:23)
Find this complete message, and more, in our book, "XII Smooth Stones" available on the TTM WEBSITE.
The offering of praise and giving of thanks to God in all
situations and circumstances is one area where many Christians fail to
experience the victory of the Abundant Life. It is easy, of course, to give
thanks when things are going well, but what about those disconcerting times
when we find ourselves consumed in the flames of a painful trial? How do we
conduct ourselves then? Do we pitch childish little fits in our hearts when
things get tough or do we do the mature thing and consider the fact that God
loves us and has something much better in mind, if we will trust in Him and
wait on Him to perform it?
“Let
us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for he is faithful
that promised.” (Hebrews 10:23)
What makes it so difficult
for us to offer up thanksgiving to God when things are not going the way we
want them to? Exactly what is that powerful unseen force that inhibits our
ability to freely praise our Heavenly Father in difficult situations?
The answer may surprise you! It is actually our flesh nature, and
not only does it hinder praise and thanksgiving, it also is the cause of most
of our pain. So if you have ever wondered about the problems in the American
Church, you need look no further than the stinking decay of human nature!
As much as we would not like to believe it, only a very small
percentage of people who commit their lives to Jesus Christ really apply the
effort needed to kill the old man, or sinful human nature, in their lives. When
times are easy, or at least easier, most of us give in to the temptation to
slack off; so when a trial comes along, we are not prepared and are easily
overwhelmed. Rather than being Overcomers, we are under-goers. Instead of acknowledging
our responsibility for not seeking God, we look for a scapegoat; we want
someone or something to blame other than looking in the mirror and declaring, “Thou
art the man!”
Now, as crucial as it is to face the reality of the sin that lurks
in our hearts, it is equally as important to realize that God does not want us
to wallow in guilt for mistakes and misdeeds. Jesus died on the Cross so that
we could receive forgiveness, both eternal and temporal, and cleansing from our
sins in this life and in the life to come. The trials in our life are meant to
reveal the contents of our heart, so God is not as interested in what we did during
the trials, as He is in what we do about what was revealed about us through
those trials. This includes the words that come out of our mouths, because our
words reveal what is in our hearts. For “Out
of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45)
Having our hearts continually filled with praise and thankfulness
to God means that we will be able to give thanks in all things when the trials
do come. A full sponge when squeezed gives up whatever it has been saturated with.
A dry sponge when squeezed gives up little to nothing. Furthermore, a sponge
does not soak up anything while it is being squeezed. Likewise, when you
saturate your soul with the Word of God during the easier times, then that is
what will come out when you are placed under the pressure of a trial, during
the hard times. Hence, the time to put on the mindset of thankfulness is BEFORE
the trials begin.
So,
before we can come to the place where we can offer up praise and thanksgiving
to God, no matter what happens, we must come to grips with the guilty party: ourselves.
God has a simple prescription to solve the problem: our old man (or “flesh”
nature) must die! “And He {Jesus} said to
them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his
cross daily, and follow me.” (Luke 9:23) This is not just a wonderful
passage of scripture, it is a prerequisite to a life of victory in Christ Jesus!
For the rest of this message, and many others, get your copy of our book "XII Smooth Stones" and also see "TTM Teaching Index" on our website, TowardTheMark.com.
WOULD YOU PARTNER WITH US TODAY?
Closing: For more Scripture-based truths to help as
you Press toward "one-ness" with our Heavenly Father,
we also have available:
~ "Toward The Mark's Wisdom-Packed Wednesdays" Facebook
page,
~ Keith's "Between The Lines" Podcast channel, and
~ Keith's "Between The Lines" Podcast channel, and
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