THE VULTURES ARE CIRCLING? YOUR ATTITUDE WHILE TRAPPED DYING IN A DRY DESERT...
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
RELIGION VS. RELATIONSHIP...
Text:
Romans 8:15-17 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
YOU ARE A PRAIRIE CHICKEN!
We begin this deep journey with this story to remind us a deep truth.
On the prairie one might find some PRAIRIE CHICKENS running free. I was told the story of some prairie chickens that lived their life as content as could be, jumping around, eating bugs. They just roamed the prairie eating insects and enjoying their time together.
One spring day the hens were roosting on their nest when on hen happened to see an egg laying on the ground. She did not know which hen had laid the egg but she decided to sit the egg until it hatched. So all the hens were sitting on their eggs waiting for the next generation of prairie chickens. All the eggs hatched out but this one. But the hen kept sitting and one day the egg hatched.
The prairie chickens watched over the biddies as they grew. One prairie chicken just kept looking up all the time. So the prairie chickens wandered around scratching for worms and eating the bugs. The one chicken seemed to always be looking up. His mother hen kept telling him, look down son, look down... Your food is on the ground. One day she had a discussion with her son, we are prairie chickens and we eat bugs. Do you understand? You are a prairie chicken!
The big prairie chicken could not help it. He wanted to look up all the time. The other prairie chickens would talk mean about how stupid it is to look up. This strange prairie chicken started seeing eagles flying. He loved to watch them soar higher and higher. He loved to watch those eagles flying so high. He would scratch for bugs but every chance he had he would watch those eagles fly. He lived his whole live scratching for bugs and living in the dirt. He watched the eagles fly high above the storms. He lived his whole life in the dirt.
One day the farmer was on the range and he saw something laying in the dust. The big prairie chicken had died. In his life the chicken had never gotten more than 5 feet off the ground. The farmer called his son over and said: I WANT YOU TO LOOK HERE! THERE IS A DEAD EAGLE LAYING HERE WHERE THE PRAIRIE CHICKENS LIVE.
How sad? The prairie chicken listened to all the others and decided, they are right. I am just a stupid prairie chicken --- looking up all the time is stupid. So he lived his whole life in the dirt. He could have flown high? But he was just a prairie chicken jumping around in the dirt?
LIFE IS NOT ALWAYS FUN... WE MUST PLAY THE CARDS WE ARE DEALT.
DISAPPOINTMENT: FEELING SAD, UNHAPPY, DISPLEASED AS SOMETHING IS NOT AS GOOD AS EXPECTED, no hope, defeated in expectation,
HURT: to cause pain, injury, wound, harm, ...
HINDER: To make slow or difficult progress, to hold back, hamper, to delay or impede action,
FRUSTRATE: to cause one to feel discouraged, annoyed, angry because they can't do something, to keep from succeeding.
HOW DID I GET HERE? CONSIDER? CONSIDER: to think about, to carefully make a choice or decision, to have understanding regarding the consequences of your choices, to be accountable,
Haggai 1:5 Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.
Haggai 1:7 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.
CONSIDER HAGAR? HOW DID SHE GET TO WHERE SHE WAS?
HAGAR MEANS STRANGER, FLIGHT, RUN-AWAY ---
Hagar is the BOND WOMAN of Abraham and Sarah.
HAGAR WAS IN A BIG MESS... HAGAR HAD BAD ATTITUDES AND MUCH OF HER MESS WAS SELF-INFLICTED... SARAH AND HAGAR COULD NOT SEEM TO GET ALONG...
Hagar was the servant girl and she had a lack of respect
Apparently at one time Hagar was going to return to her relatives in Egypt
THE SPIRIT OF ABUSE WAS RETURNED UPON HER...
Hagar had a bad attitude toward her Master's wife
Genesis 16:4 (MSG) 4 He slept with Hagar and she got pregnant. When she learned she was pregnant, she looked down on her mistress. 5 Sarai told Abram, "It's all your fault that I'm suffering this abuse. I put my maid in bed with you and the minute she knows she's pregnant, she treats me like I'm nothing. May God decide which of us is right." 6 "You decide," said Abram. "Your maid is your business." Sarai was abusive to Hagar and she ran away.
SO INSTEAD OF CORRECTING HER BAD ATTITUDE TOWARD SARAH...
HAGAR DECIDED TO RUN AWAY...
Hagar was now carrying Abraham's baby and she felt superior to her master.
So HAGAR DECIDES TO RETURN TO EGYPT and her previous life style.
HAGAR HAD A CHANCE TO CHANGE HER ATTITUDE WHEN SHE RETURNED...
Genesis 16:7 And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. 8 And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai. 9 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands. 10 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. 11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction. 12 And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.
THE FIRST TIME GOD HEARD HAGAR'S PRAYER...
HAGAR HAS A SPECIAL VISIT FROM AN ANGEL AT BEER-LAHAI-ROI
( THE WELL OF A VISIBLE GOD...)
And God's angel says: RETURN TO YOUR MASTER...
So Hagar returns for about 14 more years...
These years APPARENTLY HAGAR MAINTAINED A BAD, SUPERIOR ATTITUDE TOWARDS HER MASTER AND SHE TAUGHT HER SON THIS BAD ATTITUDE...
ISHMAEL AND HAGAR BOTH WERE INSULTING AND MEAN TO SARAH.
It was a disgrace for Sarah to not have any children.
They rubbed it in year after year.
Not only was Hagar mean to Sarah --- BUT NOW HER SON WAS BEING MEAN AND HAVING A BAD ATTITUDE TOWARD THE MASTER....
GO BACK TO THE DESERT? NOT ONLY HAD HAGAR'S BAD ATTITUDE BEEN ACCEPTED BY ISHAEL HER SON...THIS BAD ATTITUDE MUST HAVE DISTANCED HAGAR AND GOD...
AS GOD HEARD HAGAR THE FIRST TIME... THIS TIME GOD HEARS THE VOICE OF THE SON...
ISHMAEL and his Mother Hagar are again in the desert ---
The two of them are TIRED, EXHAUSTED AND FAINTING ---
THE VULTURES ARE CIRCLING AROUND...
Genesis 21:15 And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs.
16 And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.
17 And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.
18 Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation.
GOD HEARD THE BOY AND GOD SAW THE NEEDS AND RESCUED THEM BECAUSE OF THE PROMISE... EVEN WITH THE BAD ATTITUDES GOD HAD MERCY AND GRACE...
Genesis 21:19 And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.
20 And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.
21 And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.
DID GOD JUST PUT THE WELL THERE? OR WAS THE WELL ALWAYS THERE AND THEIR EYES COULD NOT SEE THE WELL OF DELIVERANCE?
HAGAR ALLEGORICALLY REPRESENTS THE FLESH. WORSHIP AND PRAISE AND SERVANT ACCORDING TO RULES, LAWS, CEREMONIES, ENTERTAINMENT OF THE FLESH ---
BONDAGE AGAIN...
We must find the cause of the curse and deal with it...
Those that serve under bondage will try to TAKE YOU TO THE LOW ROAD WITH THEM.
SARAH REPRESENTS THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST --- FREE, FREEDOM...
THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION...
Christianity is not a RELIGION it is a RELATIONSHIP.
THE CHURCH IS NOT A ONCE FOR ALL... It is a start and then grow.
THE CURSE, THE MEAN CRUEL SPIRIT PERSON CAN BE BROKEN
Many free people live under the curse of bondage again.
Galatians 4:22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. 25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
27 For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. 28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. 29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. 30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. 31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.
WE DIE WITHOUT A SPIRITUAL RENEWAL... GOD IS LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO ARISE TO BRING ABOUT REVIVAL AND RESTORATION... WHAT DO WE DO WHEN THE ODDS ARE AGAINST US? DOES LIFE EVER LOOK IMPOSSIBLE?
LIFE CAN BE VERY HARD AND DIFFICULT AND FULL OF DISAPPOINTMENTS...
GOD IS LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO SEE BEYOND THE PROBLEMS TO HEAR HIS VOICE...
GOD NEEDS YOU! GOD IS LOOKING FOR A FEW GOOD PEOPLE WITH GOOD ATTITUDES TO VOLUNTEER AND LOVE PEOPLE THE WAY THEY ARE AND TRUST GOD TO BRING ABOUT THE IMPOSSIBLE CHANGE.
WILL WE CONSIDER OUR WAYS? AND TAKE CORRECTION AND CORRECTIVE ACTION...
God is looking for someone to stand in the gap...
Ezekiel 22:30 And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.
Ezekiel 22:30 (MSG) "I looked for someone to stand up for me against all this, to repair the defenses of the city, to take a stand for me and stand in the gap to protect this land so I wouldn't have to destroy it. I couldn't find anyone. Not one.
Isaiah 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
CONCLUSION: HOW MANY TIMES WILL WE HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE DESERT? God needs you to have a good attitude and to be kind and considerate and respectful to those that you serve.
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
