THERE IS A WAY OUT

Eltham Baptist Church 4th December 2011

No. 356

Habakkuk 3:17-19 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Saviour. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.

I was thinking about what we are to do with difficult situations in our lives. We can prayer, we can believe, we can do all we can but sometimes things dont seem to change as quickly as we would like. What do we do then? Do we just keep on doggedly fighting or do we change tack. In the verse above, Habakkuk decided that he would rejoice in God even though things werent changing in his circumstances. I have found that some situations are very heavy, frustrating and even distracting and when I focused on them life has become hard, but when I have changed my attitude and did what Habakkuk did, the burden lifted and its now up to God. Things were not working out for the Prophet either and Im sure he had prayed a lot beforehand for a positive result but things just got worse. He then praised God for the way things were, knowing that God was still in control and had a plan in it all. When he started praising he found new strength entering into him and he was able to leap over walls like a deer and see the land afar off. He had new vision. When I am in a difficult situation that will not change I always find Romans 8:28 to be a blessing. When we [raise God that everything is working for our good it lightens the load.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Lets face it life doesnt always work out the way we would like. On TV Soaps we see the actors face horrendous problems each week, but amazingly by the time the show is over in just 30 to 40 minutes its all been worked out. This is straight out of La-La Land, for in real life it just isnt like that. Have you ever noticed that in real court rooms the lawyers dont sound as bold and all together like the ones in TV dramas? In real life there are lots of disappointments, frustrations, unresolved issues and seemingly unanswered prayers that we face all the time and they appear to be getting worse as the years go by. We dont have a quick answer at our finger tips either and have to fumble along. If we let it get to us we will lose hope, joy and even our love for God.
Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.

Life isnt a 123 formula and there are many unanswered questions and things that seem to make it look like God doesnt care about us anymore. With the lack of discipline in Schools now days it has produced a people with problems, who in turn produce more problems. They are problem people looking for a place to happen and the ripples go out in all directions. We innocently suffer because of the sins of others. Look at Zimbabwe for example, the sin of one man and his cronies has ruined a nation and all those under his rule groan.
Ecclesiastes10:16 Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child or a servant and when your officials feast in the morning!

Because situations arent getting any better we need to be careful that our hearts arent overcome with the sin and problems of others. We need to watch our heart in these perilous days for our attitude is the source of all our strength. Our attitude determines our altitude.
Proverbs 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

Your heart or attitude is the source of your strength and if you let it be contaminated with negative stuff your life will spiral downhill really fast. Your relationship with God will end up being like a bad marriage, and you will just be there for convenience. This can happen through you comparing your life with others or by being a When We and living in the past. When we were in such and such a town or church it was far better then than it is now. If onlys also kill our love for God

along with their Whys and doubts. This sort of attitude destroys any chance of you having hope or vision for the future, for without it you die spiritually.
Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people perish:

The thing we need to remember is that even though the fig tree doesnt always give us fruit and the grapes often fail, nothing can take Jesus away from us. If Jesus isnt all that precious to you then all you have are the grapes and they dont always come up to scratch. If you keep your eyes on Jesus He never goes away and is always the same. Jesus said an interesting thing in Luke.
The seventy-two returned with joy and said, Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name. He replied, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven. Luke 10:17-19

He said not to rejoice that the demons are subject to you. Why? Because there are times when it seems like nothing is happening. What about those who live in Zimbabwe where Mugabe remains in power and oppression still reigns? If they were only going to rejoice when they were liberated then they would be a very unhappy people. Jesus said rather rejoice in the fact that you are saved and on your way to heaven. In other words rejoice regardless of the apparent circumstances. We need to have the same attitude as Job had. It saw him through his terrible trial and delivered him in the end. God wasnt really slaying him; it just appeared to be that way. Job 13:15
Though he slays me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.

These are the Last Days when the Bride of Christ is to get herself ready for Christs return. Brides are to be full of love for their Husbands and you cant have that if they are full of sorrow and care. The apparent lack of answered prayer in these days can cause us to grow cold towards God and even drift away from Him instead of drawing near and getting ourselves ready. Brides are those who love their husbands regardless and know that they are loved by Him always. The Bride is so besotted with her husband that she doesnt really care if the fig tree has fruit or not for she knows that her husband is mighty to save and will not fail her. Its imperative that we love Him, and praise Him in all things and dont let our problems fill our vision; otherwise well lose our first love. We need to keep praise on our lips even though the fig tree does not blossom.
1 Peter 2:7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious:

We need to keep asking ourselves, Is Jesus really precious to me? Are you always thinking about Him or are problems and people choking your heart? You cant have your cake and eat it too. Jesus wants all of our love and expects this from His Bride. Slaves may worry, but not Brides as its not an attractive part of her attire. For a Bride to be full of care reflects badly on her husband. The trust part is hard at times for when we put things on the altar they just keep jumping off and ending up back in our laps again, for we dont trust God to deal with them.
Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

We are told to put the Kingdom of God first, and of course this includes the most important part of all - the King. He promises that if we do this Hell sort out all the other things in our lives. This allows us to live a care free life and just be beautiful for Him in the Spirit. Often people say to me when I leave them. Take care. I say no way, for who wants to take care with them? Im meant to be care free. Jesus cares for us and wants us as His Bride to concentrate on loving and enjoying Him instead of being full of care. If your fig tree isnt blossoming try praising Him for it and value Him more than the tree. He will make us strong in spite of our circumstances. In fact it says that He will give us hinds feet to climb to greater heights in God though the fig tree isnt blossoming. He will also be our strength.
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