Sermon Central
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Watch Me Go Through This Series
Contributed by Charles Jones on Apr 11, 2013 (message contributor)
Summary: God will raise your status while you are praising Him. He will not leave you where He found you. You need people around you that are willing to empower you. If they are not willing to empower you, then they are not your friends. Iron sharpens iron.
Watch Me Go Through This
Delivered by Bishop Charles C Jones
Text: Habakkuk 3:19: The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.
Our lives are constantly on display. People are always watching how you go through your problems and they are watching how you respond to adversity. Even though at times they may not understand, the truth is they respect the fact that you keep showing up when life is at its worst.
I believe that God uses situations like this to allow us to become evangelistic.
Life at times is UNPREDICTABLE.
As the song writer says, “time or life is filled with swift transition ”.
We must recognize that our trials are not about us, but about other people. Through your trials, God may be creating a situation to allow your response to be a testimony to someone else. As we look at our text we see how Habakkuk the minor prophet, in the midst of defeating life's reality,he shares with us his unfailing source of strength and confidence in which ultimately leads to his necessary satisfaction and contentment in the Lord Himself. The strength God gives Habakkuk say's is like the power found in the feet of a deer, a gazelle, or any active, swift- footed animal. Much as a deer can quickly abound through a dark forest, so the prophet said he could move joyfully through difficult circumstances. Though his legs trembled (v. 16) at the awesome theophany of God, that same Lord was His joy (v. 18), strength (v. 19), and assurance.
Furthermore, God enabled the prophet to walk on the heights. Not only would he abound through trials; he would also climb to the mountaintops of victory and triumph.
Can I tell you something?
It is important how you reply in your situation. Cause what you are going thru was designed for the glory of God. God only gets the glory if you go thru your situation like you should. You got to keep your head together when others around you are losing their minds. We have to go thru our trials and tribulations giving God the glory so that others will know that He is able.
If someone is watching you go through your trails, will they know that God is able?
The bible declares that in verse 17, they are going through some touchy circumstances.
Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
I. How do we respond?
1. How you respond to your situation speaks of your relationship with God. In the scripture (verses 17-18), they were going through a drought. The bible says instead of complaining or giving up, they simply acknowledged the situation. It is alright to acknowledge what you are going through in order to use it as point of reference, so that when God delivers us, we can say look where He brought me from.
The main thing is not to stay there.
2. It is ok to acknowledge our problem(s), but don’t be in denial about them either.
Many of us are living with conflicting realities, for example when you end up with more month than money or more problems than answers. What do you do in a situation like this? Just because you are in a drought doesn’t mean you have to doubt God.
3. What do you do with conflicting realities like we find in verse 17? Verse 18 says rejoice! You have got to come to the yet in your life, which means God hasn’t delivered you yet. But....I am going to trust you and I am going to praise you no matter what others do, because Lord! It is about what you are going to do. So I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
4. We must:
a. Rebel against the circumstances.
We might be in a recession, but we refuse to participate in the recession. As children of God, we rebel against every attempt the enemy has made to derail our destiny.
b. You have got to Rejoice in your covering. If you get a revelation from a sermon, you ought to be thankful for your covering. God sends a tailor made word just for you through your Pastor.
c. Revelation of covenant. We must rejoice in the God of our salvation. In the text, we see the people believed in the practice of Soteriology or the thought that one needs to be saved. However, in their situation, they realized that through their resources, they could not save themselves.
