one thing that will work when you can’t change something…

now there’s only one thing that will work when you can’t change something and that is this – acceptance.  i must accept GOD’s will in my life.  YOUr kingdom come, YOUr will be done.

now understand that not everything that happens in you life is GOD’s will.  i’m not saying that.  but you say,  “GOD, i want YOUr will in my life when there’s things out of my control and i can’t change them.”

now the apostle paul understood this.  in philippians 4.11 (ncv) he says this, i’ve learned to be satisfied with the things that i have and with everything that happens. 

how many of you can say, i’ve learned to be satisfied with everything that happens?  i couldn’t raise my hand on that one.  paul is saying, “i have learned to be content, to be satisfied with the things i have and everything that happens.”

verses 12 & 13 (ncv), i know how to live when i am poor and i know how to live when i have plenty.  i have learned the secret of being happy at any time in everything that happens… i can do all things through CHRIST because HE gives me strength.

notice the amazing thing about this verse, paul wrote it when he was in prison.  he’s in rome, chained to a guard in a dungeon and he’s saying, i’ve learned how to be happy no matter what’s going on in my life.  he couldn’t change his circumstance but he said i’ve learned to be content. 

just a thought from the front porch…

three possible responses to GOD’s will…

we are looking at james in his letter in the new testament and how to handle the future.  one thing he says in chapter 4 verse 15 (niv) is, if it is the LORD’s will, we will live and do this or that.  now there are three possible responses to GOD’s will:

1.  i can make reference to it.  that’s what he’s saying here.  i admit that GOD has a will and i accept it, acknowledge it, make reference to it.

2.  i can show deference to it.  i really want GOD’s will and i accept it into my life.

3.  i can show preference for it.  more than anything else i want GOD’s will in my life.  what GOD wants – that’s my plans.  i deeply desire it.

proverbs 16.1 (niv), we may make our plans but GOD has the last word.

man proposes, GOD disposes.  proverbs 16.9, living bible, we should make plans – counting on GOD to direct us.

stop praying, “GOD bless what i’m doing.”  don't pray that anymore.  “GOD, i’ve made my plans, i’ve worked them all out now YOU bless them.”

instead pray, “GOD help me to find and do what YOU are blessing.”  GOD is doing a lot of fantastic things in the world.  i just want to be in on them.  “help me to do what YOU’re blessing.  i don’t want my plans.  i want YOUr plans in my life.  YOUr plans will provide fulfillment in my life.”

planning without GOD is the first mistake.  you overcome it by including GOD in your goal setting.

just a thought from the front porch…

my idea or GOD’s will?…

another test that joseph faced after sharing his dream was the test of doubt.  it’s not just saying that it’s not true but saying, “i don’t know if GOD really wants this.”  

you can see in the reactions of the brothers and of the father and the family all the different expressions that doubt can take.  hatred to questions to rebuke.  you’re going to face doubt whenever you have a GOD given dream.

the next test is the worst of all.  it’s most unexpected if you’ve never heard anyone tell you this.  if you have a GOD given dream, it’s really from GOD, most likely it’s going to face the test of destruction.  it’s going to look like that dream gets totally wiped out.  there’s no way that it can come true. 

it happens to joseph.  in genesis 37, beginning at verse 12 we hear the story.  joseph was still 17.  his father sends him about 30 miles north to the fields of shechem to find out how his brothers and the flocks are doing.  the last time joseph had gone out to see how his brothers were taking care of the flock he’d brought back a bad report to the father so the relationship isn’t going too well.  and after two dreams the brothers are mad at him.  they see joseph coming from a long distance.

and as they see him coming, they say, “here’s an idea.  here’s how we can take care of this problem.  let’s kill him.  if we kill him the problem will be gone.”  then someone else says, “we can’t kill him.  he’s our brother.  let’s sell him.  then we can make money out of this.  that’s a lot better way to go.”  that family had a few problems!      

and they sell their brother as a slave and they take that multicolored coat, the richly ornamented robe that was the symbol of the fact that he was loved more than any of the others and they put blood on it and take it back to the father and they say, “jacob’s dead.  he’s gone.”  

and the family starts to disintegrate.  we’re going to see what happened to this family because of their actions.  for now, we’re going to follow through on joseph and what happened to him. 

he’s sold into slavery.  remember, he’s had a dream.  he was going to rise up above his brothers, above his father and mother.  he was going to be a ruler.  a great dream!  yet the first step in the fulfillment of this dream is he becomes a slave.  could anything be further from his GOD-given dream?  destruction.         

joseph is put in a place that seemed as far away from GOD’s dream for his life as possible.  does that make sense to you?  it makes sense to GOD.  it makes sense when you understand the life of faith. 

why do dreams face tests?  to provide answers.  when dreams face tests we find out whose dream it really is.  when dreams face tests, we find out if it’s my idea or GOD’s will.

just a thought from the front porch…

life repeats itself...

joseph shared the dream, that was his reaction but jacob, his father, had a little bit different reaction. 

genesis 37.10-11 (niv), when he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said,  “what is this dream you had?  will your mother and i and your brothers actually come and bow down before you?”  his brothers are jealous of him but his father kept this matter in mind, kept thinking about it.

jacob rebuked the dream.  jacob, a man who had two dreams himself, hears about the two dreams his son joseph had had and asks, “what are you talking about?”  he couldn’t see in his own child’s life the very things that GOD had done in his life. 

it’s easy for us to miss that isn’t it, parents?  GOD’s doing in our children’s lives the very thing HE’s done in our lives and we miss it.  jacob certainly did.  but he didn’t entirely miss it.  the bible says he did keep the matter in mind.  he thought about it.

then there was a third reaction, the brothers.  joseph shared the dream, jacob rebuked the dream, and the brothers hated the dreamer.  they didn’t care about the dream; they just went straight for joseph.  they hated him.  they were jealous of him. 

it’s interesting how jacob had set up in his family the very thing that he’d experienced as a boy.  as a boy, he and his brother esau had been separated from each other because the parents favored one over the other.  here’s jacob repeating the pattern in his own family.  here’s jacob who was the younger of the brothers and who does he love the most?  the younger of the brothers.  he loves this one more than the others and it separates him from all the rest of the sons in the household.

joseph and jacob and the brothers, all had different reactions to this dream and i want to give you something to watch for as we continue in this study, a question to think about.  which of these three are going to be most used of GOD to accomplish, to begin the process of accomplishing this GOD given dream? 

is it going to be joseph and some decision he makes?  is jacob going to turn around and begin to see the light and do something that encourages joseph to begin to go in the right way?  who’s it going to be?

it’s going to be, believe it or not, the brothers.  the ones who hate him.  the ones who are furthest from GOD’s will in this thing are going to be the ones most used of GOD to begin the process of accomplishing this dream. 

GOD’s amazing that way.  HE can take the worst things that satan tries to throw at us and turn them around for HIS good.  notice as we go through this story how GOD uses the brothers to begin this process of making the dream come true.

just a thought from the front porch...

running away from reality and responsibility…

one of the most important truths you have to learn in life is it is never GOD’s will for you to run from a difficult situation.  never.  if you do, HE’s going to bring it up again.  HE wants you to learn that HE is sufficient in every situation and if you don't learn it here, HE’ll just provide the opportunity again.

in today’s society, there are plenty of ways to run.  what is your favorite escape?  choose your pleasure.  choose your vice.  there are lots of ways to escape from reality and responsibility today.  GOD says they are all out of HIS will if you’re using them to run.  “i want you to stand strong in quiet confidence and watch me do a miracle.” 

what do i stand firm on?  he tells us in 2 chronicles 20.20 (niv), have faith in the LORD your GOD and you will be upheld.  have faith in HIS prophets and you will be successful. 

do you want to be successful?  you stand on two things: the character of GOD and the word of GOD.  have faith in the word – that’s the character of GOD.  we know who HE is.  we know what HE’s done.  and have faith in what HIS prophets have said – that’s the word of GOD, the 7000 promises.  you stand on those two things.  no problem, no conflict, and no loss.  

so when you’re facing an overwhelming battle and the odds are against you, you turn to GOD first.  you talk to GOD about the situation.  tell GOD how you feel.  you trust GOD to help you and you thank GOD in advance.

notice 2 chronicles 20.21 (nlt), the king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army singing to the LORD and praising HIM.  this is what they sang  “give thanks to the LORD for HIS faithful love endures forever.” 

                                                                                                                   

picture this: on one mountain are the three enemy armies amassed to do battle against israel.  three nations of armies.  then there’s the valley where they’re going to do battle.  then there are the lowly israelites.  jehoshaphat says, “we’re going to take you who sing and make a choir out of you and put you in front of the army as you march into battle.”  they’re out there singing “thanks to GOD!  praise GOD!”  the enemy is going, “what is going on?”  the israel army is certainly going, “yeah, what is going on?”  and the choir is saying, “we would like to know what’s going on!” 

there’s a very important truth here.  there’s a symbolism in this.  they were thanking GOD in advance for the victory.  before it even happened, they were thanking GOD in advance.  praise, thanksgiving, is verbalized faith.  if you thank GOD after the fact, that’s gratitude.  if you thank GOD before it happens, that’s faith.  they said, “give thanks.  we thank GOD for the victory

just a thought from the front porch…

is everything that happens to me GOD's will?…

because GOD is in control my problems have a purpose.

1 peter 1.6-7 (ph), at present, you may be temporarily harassed by all kinds of trials. this is no accident [please note – it is not an accident, the problems that you're facing.] it happens to prove your faith which is infinitely more valuable than gold.

peter here is saying that life is not a series of random events that have no meaning. if you are a child of GOD, nothing can come into your life without the heavenly FATHER's permission. everything that happens to you is FATHER-filtered. it's not an accident these problems that you've had.

i am not saying that everything that happens is GOD's will. it isn't. there are many things that happen in life that are not GOD's will. sin is not GOD's will. someone get's cancer – “must be GOD's will”. who said? someone's in an accident and dies – “must be GOD's will”. who said? we are to pray, THY will be done on earth as it is in heaven because GOD's will is not always done.

i'm not saying that everything is GOD's will or that HE causes everything. HE doesn't. HE doesn't cause sin. HE doesn't even cause all your problems. HE doesn't have to. you bring enough problems on yourself. and other people bring enough problems on to you. HE doesn't have to cause problems in your life.

but what i am saying is this: GOD allows – HE permits problems and then HE uses them for a greater purpose. GOD is a pro at turning bad things into good things. HE's the expert at taking problems and bringing the greater purpose out of them.

GOD could have kept paul out of prison at philippi, but HE let him go to prison. HE allowed it and as a result the jailer became a CHRISTian. GOD could have had pharaoh say yes when moses said, “let my people go” but instead HE let him say no so HE could show all of HIS miracles and the ten plagues. GOD could have kept JESUS from going to the cross, not have to have the crucifixion. but HE allowed the crucifixion so HE could do a resurrection.

GOD allows problems in your life. HE doesn't have to cause them. we cause them. we bring them on ourselves and other people cause them. don't blame GOD for all the evil in the world. HE allows it and then HE brings it into focus to help us.

just a thought from the front porch…