Falling prey to negative messages?

FALLING PREY TO THE NEGATIVE MESSAGE?
THERE IS A NEGATIVE TRAP!
FIXED FAITH OVERCOMES THE NEGATIVE!
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com

TEXT:
Psalm 112:7 He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.

PREY:
***ONE THAT IS HELPLESS AGAINST ATTACK.
***One that cannot resist attack.
***Victim, something that has an injurious, destructive or wasting effect?

I. GOD PLEASE FORGIVE ME --- MY FOCUS IS WRONG!
A. YEARS AGO I WAS IN THE WASHINGTON, DC., AREA FOR A NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION (NEA) CONVENTION.
I was in my room on the 13th floor looking out the window.
B. I focused on this pile of garbage someone had thrown out their car window, and I thought how bad that was.
C. I asked a friend looking out the same window what he saw? He pointed to a beautiful flower garden and noted how colorful the flowers were?
D. He saw flowers, I saw garbage?
E. Many times in life I have focused on garbage and missed the beautiful flowers.
God please forgive me! I had fallen prey to the negative.

II. WHICH WAS RIGHT? Who was the prey?
A. I once was sitting at a large gathering of Preachers and Pastors in a large metropolitan city.
In the mornings I have to take a fluid pill, so I sat in the back next to the door nearest the bathroom.
B. This big named preacher was preaching from the depth of his heart.
There was a Pastor that went stomping out of the meeting, he was so critical.
He wagged his head at me and said, I will not be back! This is terrible!
I sat there and pondered in my heart.
C. After the service was over, a Pastor of a little struggling church came by me. Tears were running down his face, his nose was red, he hugged me, and said,
I believe this was the most powerful word of God I have ever heard?
He had a personal encounter with God through the message delivered by God’s man.

D. THAT DAY I PONDERED WHO WAS RIGHT?
I heard the message and I tended to agree with the second man that this was a good, timely message.
E. But I pondered this man being so angry and stomping out and telling how bad the message and how bad the Preacher was?
D. After pondering this in my heart, I HAD TO ADMIT THAT BOTH MEN WERE RIGHT!
The negative man stomping out in a rage must have not liked something he heard?
The little struggling pastor under a heavy burden was so touched by God, he said he was forever changed and encouraged.
F. I guess, I thought if the angry man had stayed for the whole message maybe he would have liked it better and that made a difference, and then I concluded, NO!
G. It was not just the message, it was the attitude and ears of the hearer that affected the reception of the Good News?

H. Have I ever missed God’s message because my ears were not in tune?

III. THE INVESTMENT OF FAITH WILL OVERCOME ALL THE NEGATIVE WORDS, ALL THE NEGATIVE TEARS, ALL THE NEGATIVE MEETINGS,

A. AFTER ALL THE 40 YEARS OF THIS DESERT AND 40 YEARS OF DEATH --- I CAN STILL SEE VICTORY.

B. WE BURIED THE NEGATIVE CROWD, LET US REACH BEYOND--
WITH MY WHOLE HEART I CLAIM WHAT IS MINE!
C. THAT MOUNTAIN IS MINE! I WILL NOT BE DENIED!
D. IF THE LORD BE WITH ME, WE SHALL OVERCOME THE YEARS OF NEGATIVE. GOD WILL HONOR MY INVESTMENT OF FAITH.

Joshua 14:7 Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh-barnea to espy out the land; and