UNHAPPY CYCLES? THE PROBLEM OF THE HEART?
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
Crushing? Life can be so crushing? Life is but a test! At the Corvette plant… a car comes off the assembly line. The car appears finished. But there is one more issue. THE TEST! The car pulls off the assembly line in a small room. Workers hook up computer lines all over the Vette. A specialized driver crawls into the cockpit. The car never moves, yet it is going 70 to 90 mph sitting still. Now the brand new Corvette will be pushed to its limits. This season of testing will determine if the Vette will drive out of the plant or will it be taken into a repair booth for correction? The Corvette is much like we are. LIFE IS BUT A SERIES OF TESTINGS. By the way, how are you doing?
I have a preacher friend named WAYNE MEADE, he answered this: THE REAL ME SHOWS UP IN A TESTING TIME! SOMETIMES I’M DISAPPOINTED IN THE REAL ME! BUT GOD ISN’T. HE SEES THE REAL ME ALL THE TIME AND LOVES ME
ANYWAY! HALLELUJAH, BLESS HIS NAME! Wayne Meade.
THE TEST? THE PROBLEM OF THE HEART IS THE HEART OF THE PROBLEM? LIFE IS ABOUT YOUR FOCUS! YOUR CHOICES!
THE NEGATIVE INFECTION TEST? THE TEST? TWO REPORTS? THE MAJORITY OR THE MINORITY?
Joshua 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
To willingly ACCEPT A NEGATIVE REPORT CAN RE-DEFINE A WHOLE GENERATION. THE TEST OF ATTITUDES will reveal your heart… GOD DESIRES US TO GIVE AN ASSESSMENT of where you are and where you are going. Let us have a POSITIVE OUTLOOK TO REPORT TO PEOPLE. Life is more than just a destination, much of life is about the JOURNEY. Do we want to be unhappy?
Moses hand picks 12 men to travel to scout out the promise land and the POTENTIAL. Moses was seeking more than just a geographical lay of the land. The report will study the farming potential, the strongholds and plant God’s Hope.
10 spies returned with a terribly negative attitude. The 10 spies saw nothing but problems. They were to be more than just doom and gloom. THE 10 REFUSED THE PROMISE OF A MIGHTY GOD… Do we see the problems or the solutions? Let us be honest about the 10 spies’ observations: THEY ARE STRONGER THAN WE ARE they said…. They are battle prepared… They are all GIANTS… We are grasshoppers… WE PRACTICE UNHAPPINESS AND WE CAN’T DO IT!
YOU WILL BE DEFINED BY YOUR CHOICES AND YOUR ATTITUDES ABOUT ACCEPTING GOD’S VISION.
WHAT IS YOUR CONCLUSION? THE TEST? 10 NEGATIVE TO 2 POSITIVE, WE CAN? WHOSE REPORT WILL WE BELIEVE? THERE HAD BEEN SO MANY BLESSINGS AND SO MANY MIRACLES AFTER MIRACLES… WE MUST HAVE FORGOT GOD IN THIS TEST?
Numbers 13:31 But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. 32 And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. 33 And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.
THE NEGATIVE CROWD REFUSED CORRECTION AND THEY HONESTLY CONSIDERED STONING TO DEATH JOSHUA AND CALEB.THEY DID NOT WANT TO HEAR THAT GOD CAN HANDLE THIS. THE TEST WAS THE CHOICE OF WE WANT TO BE UNHAPPY. THAT SAID: GOD CAN’T HANDLE THIS… NOT TRUSTING GOD? NOT TRUSTING GOD’S PLAN? WHAT WILL KEEP US OUT OF OUR PROMISE LAND? GOD POTENTIAL?
MY DEAR FRIEND, WE DECIDE THE LENGTH OF THE SEASON OF TESTING? QUIT BLAMING AND EXCUSING THE CHOICES YOU MAKE THAT DETERMINE YOUR UNHAPPY CYCLE? WE GET WHERE WE ARE COMFORTABLE BEING UNHAPPY AND COMPLAINING!
Numbers 14:34 After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.
CYCLE: Life is a cycle. Once a man, twice a boy? Birth, baby, toddler, child, adolescent, young man, adult, middle age, old, death.
CYCLE: a reoccurring succession of events, they reoccur usually back to the beginning point. There is a TIME cycle? The moon--- full, third quarter, first quarter, crescent, half moon… the water cycle? The Nitrogen cycle? The carbon cycle?
Washing machine cycle? Furnace or air conditioning cycle? The seasons?
LIFE IS MORE THAN AN EVENT, A GOOD LIFE IS ABOUT THE PROCESS. YOU ESTABLIISH THE JOURNEY… WILL WE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE FULLNESS OF THE JOURNEY? OR WILL WE FOCUS JUST ON THE DESTINATION? THE TEST OF PRESSING ON TO THE MARK OF THE HIGH CALLING...
*GILGAL IS MORE THAN A PLACE… ELISHA KNOWS HE HAS BEEN CALLED TO FOLLOW ELIJAH… THE JOURNEY IS A PROCESS, A PROGRESSIVE PROCESS.
2 Kings 2:1 And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.
GILGAL means attitude, ROLLING STONE, unfaithful, up and down, not established, little growth, staying the same. YOU HAVE THE CHOICE TO STAY HERE?
We can make a choice, I am not staying UNHAPPY AT GILGAL. I know there is more. I will grow and find my purpose. I can’t quit? I can’t afford to lose my focus? I KNOW THERE IS MORE…
2 Kings 2:2 And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel.
*BETHEL: I know God has a plan prepared for me. I must exert effort and stay focused and make real progress.
BETHEL means House of God, greater study and devotions. I must give myself to prayer. My faith will determine if I stay unhappy or adjust my attitudes, words and deeds.
YOU HAVE THE CHOICE TO STAY HERE?
DOES GOD DESIRE ME TO STAY UNHAPPY OR CLIMB TO NEW HEIGHTS? STAY HERE? NO, NOT ME?
*JERICHO IS THE NEXT ASCENSION, CLIMB HIGHER, MORE EFFORT.
2 Kings 2:4 And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho.
JERICHO is sweet fragrance, deep thankfulness, PRAISE and WORSHIP. Refuse to stay at Gilgal, Bethel and Jericho. There is more than depression, agony and despair. In worship and praise we find the heart of God.
I THANK GOD FOR THE OPPORTUNITIES WE HAVE HAD AT GILGAL, BETHEL AND JERICHO… BUT GOD’S PLAN IS BIGGER THAN WE DREAMED… THE PROCESS DOES NOT CONCLUDE AT JERICHO… THERE IS A RIVER BETWEEN JORDAN and ISRAEL. I refuse to stop at Gilgal, Bethel or Jericho…
2 Kings 2:6 And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the LORD hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on.
The Jordan is a place to grow, a garden, to develop. The Jordan represents a boundary line to step over. The Jordan speaks of a newness, a spiritual rebirth, revival. Jesus came to be baptized in the Jordan.
2 Kings 2:9 And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.
*THE JORDAN REPRESENTS DEATH, IT STARTS ON MOUNTAIN HERMAN AND ENDS AT THE DEAD SEA… The Jordan descends to a spiritual ascent. DEATH TO SELF, to submit to the plan of God. To yield to God’s plan. Joshua’s time, the ARK OF COVENANT the flooded waters dried up. Naaman? We can take people out of Egypt but the death of self takes EGYPT OUT OF PEOPLE. GIVE UP YOUR UNHAPPINESS.
GILGAL? BETHEL? JERICHO? JORDON?… YOU ASK A HARD THING… STICK AROUND… YOUR CHANGE WILL COME.
2 Kings 2:10 And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.
CONCLUSION: There is only one bird that will challenge an EAGLE. It is the crow. The crow will pest and pick on the eagle. The crow gets above the eagle and rides on the eagles back and pecks at the eagle. The eagle ignores the crow and slowly climbs higher and higher. Until the eagle is flying where the oxygen is so thin the crow will pass out and fall to the earth. The eagle makes the choice to rise above the problem. Will you fly higher or fight?
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
