the difference between preparing and solving…

in making wise decisions you will need to prepare for problems.

donald trump said, “i expect the best but i prepare for the worst.”  that’s not bad advise.  in faith, expect the best.  expect GOD to work in your life.  but also prepare for the problems that are coming. 

five thousand years earlier, solomon said this same thing in the bible, proverbs 22.3 (tlb), a prudent man foresees the difficulties ahead and prepares to meet them; the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.  

the wise person recognizes there’s going to be problems in any decision and prepares for them.  even the bible knows about murphy’s law:  if anything can go wrong, it will.  i saw a bumper sticker the other day, “murphy was an optimist.”  you can’t ignore problems because they’re not going to ignore you.  problems are inevitable; they are a part of life.  the wise person prepares for

problems. 

ask:  what could go wrong?  what will happen if it does?

there's a difference between preparing for a problem and solving a problem.  big difference.  never confuse the decision making phase with the problem solving phase.  they are two different things.  if you have to solve all the problems before you make a decision, you’ll be paralyzed before you make the decision. 

in the spiritual realm this means you don’t have to have all of your doubts about CHRISTianity and CHRIST settled before you make the decision to follow CHRIST.  listen, you don’t have to have all of your doubts figured out before you come to CHRIST. “JESUS, i give all that i know about me that i understand, to all that i know about YOU that i understand at this point in my life.”  the rest of your life you’ll be working out all the problems, the doubts.  i still don’t understand a lot that is in the bible. 

you don’t have to have all of your doubts resolved.  a man once came to JESUS:  “i need YOU to heal my son.”  JESUS asked, “do you believe I can heal him?”  man:  “i want to believe and i want you to help me with my doubts, my unbelief.”  JESUS:  “that's good enough” and HE healed the kid.  if that’s good enough for that man, it’s good enough for you.

you come and say, “JESUS, i give YOU all my life. i don't understand and i have some doubts and fears.  but i’m coming with them all.”   YOU solve the problems later.  if you had to solve all the problems before you make a decision then the decision isn’t made in faith.

just a thought from the front porch…