Dear BCA Family, Everyone seems to be afraid of something, but people handle their fears in different ways. We recently interviewed several people who were shopping at local stores. We stopped them in the parking lot and asked, "What are you afraid of, and what do you do about it?" One man was afraid of spiders…but his girlfriend takes care of them for him. A teenaged girl was afraid that she would never fall in love…but she relies on a magazine’s promise that her future true love will fit her like a lock and key. One man was afraid of being attacked, failing in life, and death…so he meditates and tries to "center" himself. A mother was worried that something bad would happen to her children…and said that praying was the only way she makes it through. Fear of the future beyond their control was a recurring theme. One young man stood out in the crowd. He was afraid that he would not do whatever God was telling him to do, or that he would fail God in some way…so he prays and tries to listen to what God has to say. He has already learned the truth found in Proverbs 9:10: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." Fear can demoralize our soul, paralyze our spirit, and monopolize our mind if we are relying on anyone or anything except God. We are not exempt from pain in this life… in fact, God will use hard lessons and experiences to mold our lives and draw us closer. But He has a plan and dream for us, and wants to build our faith as we walk through it together. We have seen that there are 6 Factors God Uses in Building Your Faith: Dream, Decision, Delay, Difficulty, Dead-end, and Deliverance. Today we look at Factor #5—Know What to Do When Plans Fall Through. Abraham’s Example of
Faith Factor #2—DECISION Factor #3—DELAY Factor #4—DIFFICULTY Factor #5—DEAD-END Factor
#6—DELIVERANCE! WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU REACH “DEAD-END”. 1. REMEMBER WHAT GOD
CAN DO. Faith is not a positive mental attitude, like the children’s story "The Little Engine That Could". "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can…" will only get you so far. Faith is not hoping and wishing, or "psyching yourself up" for a tough situation. Positive thinking is better than negative thinking, and it’s good for things in your control. But faith in God works on things that are out of your control - which is most of life. Only faith in God will bring you through a dead-end – because God can do anything. Remember that God can do two things that you can’t. Remember the verse in Romans 4:17? God can bring the dead to life and bring into being that which does not exist. In my opinion, these are the two definitions of a real genuine miracle: giving new life to something dead, and creating something out of nothing. He is the Creator of the universe and nothing is outside of His ability! Luke 18:27: (Jesus said) What is impossible with men is possible with God. The word "impossible" is not in God’s vocabulary! It is an opportunity for a miracle. 2. RELY ON WHAT GOD
HAS SAID. God has given us a number of promises in Scripture that we can rely on. Notice the phrase in the above verse, "when hope was dead within him." Have you ever felt that way? Were you in despair, wanting to give up or let go of the end of the rope you were clinging to? Maybe you feel that way about your marriage, child, finances, career, school, or another area of your life. You feel that hope has died inside of you. It’s hopeless!! If you feel that way, you do what Abraham did. When hope had died within him, he went on hoping. How? By relying on what God had said. Nothing is more reliable than His Word. Heb. 11:17(LB)—While God was testing him, Abraham still trusted in God and his promises, so he offered his son Isaac. Abraham did not panic. Why? He knew the promises of God. In fact, vs. 19 it says that Abraham believed God would raise Isaac. He thought, "If God can give me a son at age 99, He can raise him from the dead." Abraham didn’t know HOW God would keep His promise to make him a father of many nations…but he knew that God would keep it. He remembered what God could do and he relied on what God had said. That’s what we must do when we are in a hopeless situation. Rom 4:18(JB)—Though it seemed Abraham’s hope could not be fulfilled…he did become the father of many nations, exactly as God had promised. A lot of things seem hopeless, but they are not. The situation may seem desperate, but God is in control. From a human standpoint, it may look bad, but from God’s standpoint, it’s not. Things are often not as bleak as they seem. Jesus’ disciples looked at Him hanging on the cross, and were sure it was all over…but we all know that it was all a part of God’s wonderful plan. When you are at a dead-end in life…legally, financially, spiritually, socially, emotionally, or physically…just remember what God can do, and rely on what God has said. 3. FACE THE FACTS
WITH FAITH. Faith is facing the facts without being discouraged by them. Faith does not ignore reality, or pretend there is not a problem. It does not deny the difficulty. That’s fantasy. And there is a big difference between fantasy and faith. You face the facts, but realize that God is bigger than your problems. You can’t build a business on fantasy, but you can build it on faith. Abraham faced the facts that they were both past their childbearing years, and yet God had promised them a child. It was a medical impossibility for them to have a child. Now there is a brand of "Christianity" that tells others to not even admit you have problems. They say that faith means to put on a happy sunshine face, and ignore the truth. There are no delays, difficulties, or dead-ends…. but this is foolishness. A guy walks around with a 105 fever and says he is not sick. Someone else is 6 months past due on his bills and heading for foreclosure, but says he is not in debt. All that is needed is to make a good confession, and smile, smile, smile. But none of that is in the Bible. Jesus didn’t teach that…Pollyanna did. God is not a genie that supplies whatever we ask for. Faith faces the fact that sometimes life gets tough. The key is to look beyond your problem and realize that God is bigger than the problem. 2 Cor. 4:18—So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. It’s what you’ve got you’re eyes on that matters! A poem by Corrie Ten Boom, a World War II concentration camp survivor, captures this thought: If you look at the world you will be distressed. If you look within you’ll be depressed. But if you look to Christ you’ll be at rest. What – or Who – are you looking at today? 4. EXPECT GOD TO
ACT. The verse in Romans 4 describes Abraham’s faith. Although at a complete dead-end, he was completely sure that God was able to do anything He promised. A lot of people have faith like old TV shows. The "Father Knows Best" faith relies on your parents' faith…but you’ve never bought in. The "Ozzie & Harriet" faith depends on your spouse’s faith. The "Happy Days" faith says that as long as things are cool and happy, you’re there. The "Let’s Make a Deal" faith bargains with God for what you will do if He grants your wishes. The "Price is Right" faith will trust God if it is convenient and doesn’t cost too much. All of these are counterfeit faiths that won’t bring you through the hard times. What kind of faith do you have? When you are in a hopeless situation, the kind of faith that makes it has got to be a personal faith in your own heart. It’s got to be a living faith, a growing faith, an expectant faith…. the kind of faith that knows what God can do, relies on what God has said, and faces the facts in faith without being discouraged. The highest form of faith is what Abraham did. He praised God for the blessing even before it happened. Thanking God in advance is the key that unlocks the power of God in your life. Maybe you are at a dead-end in some way. It may be financial, legal, a problem with failing health, a difficult time in your marriage, or issues at work. Maybe your dream has turned to dust…and nothing short of a miracle is going to bail you out. Trust in Christ! Give your heart and dead-end to Him. When we hit a dead end in life, we often panic. God says to pray and trust His Word instead. The world hopes for the best, but Jesus offers the best hope. Jesus wants to turn your hopeless end into an endless hope. God can handle it…trust Him. Remember what God can do, rely on what God has said, face the facts in faith, and expect God to act by thanking Him in advance. Everybody has faith… but what you put your faith IN makes all the difference. A faith that is personal, real, living, growing, and placed in Jesus Christ will stand the test of time, and will help you through the delays, difficulties and dead-ends in life. No situation is hopeless when you give it to God. He wants to deliver you, and bring you through those experiences with an even deeper faith. Ps 50:15(LB)—I want you to trust me during your times of trouble so that I can rescue you and you can give me glory. Ask the Lord to come into your life, build your faith, and increase your trust in Him. The purpose of life is to know God deeply and to serve Him completely. The more we know Him and the closer we get to Him, the greater He becomes. God will guide us through the wilderness, just as He guided the Israelites through the desert so long ago. Exodus 13:21-22: By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people. Our job is to have faith, follow, and find out what God is trying to teach us through the experience. Things may get worse before they get better, but we have hope in God’s many promises. God specializes in the impossible! If you have been experiencing delay, difficulty, or a dead-end, trust God’s leading and anticipate your deliverance in His perfect timing. Blessings, Pastor Rob
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