Sermon Central
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Overcoming Obstacles
Contributed by Carl Kelleher on Mar 1, 2002 (message contributor)
Summary: If God calls us to do something, then He enables us to do what He calls us to do.
Title: “Overcoming Obstacles”
Text: Philippians 4: 13
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
If you think you’re beaten, you are.
If you think you dare not, you don’t.
If you Like to win, but you think you can’t, it’s almost certain you won’t.
If you think you’ll lose, you’ve Lost.
It’s all in the state of mind.
I don’t agree with everything in this little poem, but there is a lot of Truth to it!
Last Sunday Morning, I made the statement, “Our Thoughts Today Determine who we will be Tomorrow.” Your Life today is the outcome of what you have thought through the years to this very moment.
Proverbs 23: 7
“For as he thinks in his Heart, so is he....”
I asked you the question, “How are we suppose to Think in order to become the person that God would have us to be?” That isn’t a silly question, because if we don’t Think Right----we won’t Live Right!
“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”
I told you last Sunday that if we are going to Walk like Jesus Walked then we are going to have to begin to Think like Jesus Thinks! If we don’t discipline ourselves to Think Right, we will never Walk Right!
We Need To Learn to Think Right
1. How Do You Think About Yourself?
-God doesn’t want you to Arrogant & Proud.
-But you need to see yourself the way He sees you!
2. How do you think about your Circumstances?
I told you that we could not always control our circumstances in Life. But we can control the way that we respond to our circumstances. Paul said, “I have learned in whatsoever state that I am in to be Content.”
3. How Do You Think About Others?
Your Thoughts determine your Relationships. Do you see people the way that God sees people? If you don’t, you won’t Treat them the way that God wants them to be Treated.
4. How Do You Think About God?
-Do you see Him as someone Impossible to Please?
-Do you see Him with a Score Pad in His Hand?
-Do you see Him as a Task Master?
-Or do you see Him as a God or Mercy & Grace?
-Do you see that He Really Loves you........
If you see God in a Positive Manner, then you are going to want to Spend Time in Prayer & in His Word.
But if you don’t see God in a Proper Perspective then you aren’t going to want to spend time in His Word, in Prayer or with His People.
5. How Do You See Your Wife & Children?
-Is she the “Old Lady”?
-Or is she a “Gift from God”?
-Are the children “Blessings or Burdens”?
-Your Thoughts will Affect Your Actions!
I. God Wants You To Succeed.
I have felt this all of my Life, but I haven’t spent a lot of time thinking about it. But just like I want my children to Succeed in Life----God wants you to be Successful Also. We need to know this!
3 John 1: 2
“Beloved, I pray that you may Prosper in all things & be in health, just as your soul prospers.”
I believe that many times that we have a wrong definition of Prosperity. It is more than having Money in the Bank. But it is being in Right Relationship with God & doing what He has called you to do!
Philippians 4: 13
“I can do all thing through Christ who Strengthens me.”
Do you Truly believe that you can Accomplish the Things that God has asked you to do? Paul didn’t say that he could do all things through his power, but he said, “I can do all things through Christ“.
Paul drew his Identity & his Strength from Christ. Moreover, Paul didn’t desire to do anything that was apart from Christ’s Purpose for His Life!
Paul sought to do only what Christ had Called him to do & Equipped him to do. He said, “I can do these things because Christ is fulfilling His Purpose in me & He is Strengthening me in the areas that I need to be Equipped.”
Every Christian can & must reach the point in making this same statement of affirmation-----”I can do all thing through Christ because my Strength comes from Him.”
1. I can be the Person that He has called me to be.
2. I can be a Godly Christian Father.
3. I can be the Husband that God wants me to become.
4. We can make this Marriage the Marriage
that God would have it to be!
5. We can face the Pressures that come our way.
6. I can accomplish whatever God has called me to do.
