Please turn
to the book of James, chapter one. In your bulletin I’ve provided notes for you
to follow along in what I believe to be a very relevant topic for today. And
that topic is: problems.
Look down at verse 12:
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who love him.
God’s word says there is a long term benefit for those of you who handle problems correctly. If you're a believer, and you’ve opened your life to God’s Son and you know that you are going to heaven, the bible says that the rewards in heaven are going to be based on how you handle your problems. Did you learn to handle them correctly? Did you give up in the middle of them? Did you get selfish? Did you grow from them?
The title of my message is "When Problems Come" and I want to give you three distinct actions you can do to place yourself in the position for the Lord to work in your life. Take your notes, take good notes and place them in your Bible or at home on a kitchen cupboard or garage post. Some of you might not have any problems, but you will meet with some sooner or later and it’s my prayer that when you do, this outline will be readily available for you to look back on and have God work in your life in such a way that you will handle them with more maturity than you did yesterday.
I. Recognize God’s Working
“Five Ways God Works Through My Problems”
1.To Direct Me
Sometimes we are going down a wrong way, and God says, I don’t want you going that way, so he puts a roadblock in the form of a problem. “A person may plan his own journey, but the Lord directs his steps. Proverbs 16:9 (GW)
Notice that humans plan, but God directs. What does that mean? Well, you know how to plan. You set your goals, establish your priorities, clarify your values, set your dreams. But God directs. How does God direct when you are making your plans? One word: Problems. Problems change your plan. Ever noticed that? You can make your plans. The bible says you ought to make plans, but God is going to direct your life. He allows a little roadblock here when God has a better idea for your life. Sometimes it takes a painful experience to make us change our ways.
“Blows that wound cleanse away evil; strokes make clean the innermost parts.” Proverbs 20:30
Truth be told: We don’t change when we see the light. We change when we feel the heat! Pain is a powerful motivator. Sometimes God wants us to get going. Things become uneasy… things become uncomfortable. You’re not so satisfied and settled. If everything was comfortable in life, you would never change. Sometimes it takes a painful experience to change our ways. Prodigal son recap: When he came to his senses, he changed. We rarely think of the tough questions in life: Why am I here? What’s my purpose? Where will I go when I die? You rarely ask those questions when you are comfortable. It’s in the tough times you ask: What is this all about? We don’t think about our direction until we have problems. And hit bottom. God uses problems to prod us, push us, and prompt us to change. ASK: “Where is this problem leading me?
2. To Inspect Me
He Inspect our motives integrity, our heart.
“The Lord searches our hearts and examines our deepest motives so he can give to each person his right reward, according to his deeds—how he has lived.”
Jeremiah 17:10 (LB)
Turn to Proverbs 16:2
Why does God want to inspect us? Because God is more interested in our integrity than our image. He is more interested in our soul than our success. He is more interested in our inside than our outside.
“All the ways of man are pure in his own eyes but the Lord weighs the spirit.”
“Humans are satisfied with whatever looks good; but God probes for what is good.” Proverbs 16:2 (MSG). God continues to probe us and take us through the same problems: to make sure that what is good is what eventually comes out of our lives. When God puts the squeeze on you, it’s an inspection process but also a refining process. Maybe he wants to burn off selfishness, or pride, or impatience or materialism. What does he want to do in you? We need to ask, "WHAT DOES THIS PROBLEM REVEAL ABOUT ME?"
3. To Correct Me
“God corrects all of his children, and if he doesn’t correct you, then you don’t really belong to him… God corrects us for our own good, because he wants us to be holy, as he is.” Heb. 12:8-10 (CEV)
There is a Difference between correction and punishment. Punishment: Looks at the past and you are going to get in trouble for it. Correction: Looks at the future and shows us how to do it differently. Punishment: about Guilt (wrong, bad). Correction: this is the path I want you to go on in the future. When God corrects us it sometimes means facing the ugly truth about ME! Do you want to know why that crisis comes in your life? It was a wakeup call that says God wants to teach you something. God may want to teach you about a weakness, a blind spot, an area that needs to be worked on because no one is perfect. God may want to teach you about Him: his love, his care, his justice, his promises. You won’t know God as all you need, until God is all you got. Some lessons, you only learn through failure. Hot stove: You learn by being burned. Something you learn by losing them. The value of money by losing money. You take health for granted until you lose it. Lose legs or sight. The value of a relationship… after they lost it. when problems arise don’t ask why, ask what, ASK: What is this problem teaching me?
4. To Protect Me
Problems can be a blessing in disguise “God will save you from hidden traps.” Ps 91:3a (NCV) Because we can’t see them God intervenes to protect us. Shepherds in the middle east who have wandering sheep, those who wander into danger, if they can’t control that lamb, they will break the legs of it to protect it from greater harm. Sometimes God allows problems to protect us from a greater danger in our lives. Disappointments are his appointments. When problems come, we don’t have to solve the problems. God allows it to prevent a greater harm in our life.
Turn to 1 Peter 3:17. Sometimes problems come because we did the right thing. “It is better to suffer for doing good than for doing wrong…” 1 Peter 3:17 (NCV) Ex. Joseph: did right, Potiphar’s wife, went to jail. Instead of looking for who to blame, he said this: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good..” Genesis 50:20 (NIV) Joseph’s lesson is that often problems prepare us for success. All that he went through prepared him for the success in His life. It all comes down to this question: will you trust God in the midst of the problem? You don’t have to figure it out in order for God to use it. ASK: How is this problem protecting me?
5. To Perfect Me
To make us like Christ, to Grow us up spiritually. “After you have suffered for a little while {even your entire life, still a little while compared to eternity}, the God of all grace, who calls you to share his eternal glory in union with Christ, will himself perfect you and give you firmness, strength and a sure foundation.” 1 Peter 5:10 (TEV)
Your greatest spiritual growth will not come at the best worship services, the best bible studies or the mountain top spiritual experiences of life. Spiritual growth will come in the valleys, in the winter seasons of life. In the dark. These times are painful. Pain is the high cost of growth. Sometime we want the product of growth without the process. We want the growth without the pain. We want to grow up, but with no growing pains. It’s impossible. The very thing that discourages you the most is the very thing God wants to use to develop you. What discourages you, God wants to use to develop you. I don’t know what problem you're going through. But I know that they are not an accident. And I know that God will use them. And if you learn how to handle them correctly, you will be rewarded in eternity with blessing that will last forever and ever and ever. So it is vital that you learn how to handle your problems correctly. Your problems are not your problem. Your problem is how you respond to the problems of life. That’s the bigger problem. Your problems are bigger when you lose God’s perspective on it! When you throw away your values and refuse to forgive. Focus on the problem rather than God. ASK: How do you want me to respond to my problem? So the first step is to remember that when problems come is to Recognize God’s Working.
II. Rely on God’s Word
This book is the voice of God. The Holy Scriptures are the authoritative Words of God. It is alive and activated. And this point of Relying on God’s Word … for the Christian is Faith filled living 101. So many of you have heard this, tried this, and have struggled. You’ve been in the boat during storms. You’ve worried about the giants in front you. Yet the race of life you are running has limped to a crawl. And the potential maturity that is intended for you to grow has yet to be tapped.
Some of you are afraid of your problems this morning. Some of you are afraid that your family won’t make it, that your marriage will fail and that your finances won’t be enough. That your children won’t make it in life. Some of you are afraid your faith won’t last, that you will walk away from God, and that you’re not sure you even care at this moment.
But the Voice of truth: God’s word says this:
Trouble and distress have come upon me, but your commands are my delight. Ps 119:143 NIV
His commands, His words, His promises they are to be our delight. To rely on his word when problems come we must remember that God is the source of hope: Romans 15:13. Let me give you three of God’s biggest promises to you and I when problems come.
Turn with me to Isaiah 41:10
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Right here in this verse we have the three greatest promises we can claim EVERYDAY! But especially to embrace and believe during problems both big and small.
First, God promises His Presence. I am with you! God says in Hebrews 13:5 never will I leave you or forsake you. He says in Ps 32: 8 that He will watch over us and advise us. The good news is regardless of what happens, you and I don’t have to go through it alone. There is a God who will be with us. He will be there with you. That is one of the certainties of life that I can hold onto. When I hold onto that certainty, I have hope. There are a lot of uncertainties in life. The truth is, God will never leave you.
God promises His Peace
Be Not Dismayed! Why? Because, for the true believer, He is our God! When Problems come, God is not wringing his hands saying “Oh no, how’s Eric going to get out of this one?” When problems come God is offering His hands to Eric, his adopted son through Christ and saying Philippians 4:5 “The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (ESV) He is the prince of Peace! When we rely on his word, we remember in Ps 29:11 that the Lord blesses his people with peace. When we rely on His word, it says in Psalm 119: 165 great peace is given to those who love His word. When problems come peace is promised to you. Rely on his word.
God promises His Power
I will strengthen you! When we rely on God’s word we readily admit that we are weak and that he is stronger than us. But it doesn’t stop there, the Lord says in 2 Cor.: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." The apostle Paul (an example to us today) goes on and says: “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Cor 12:9-10 (NIV) When we rely on His word we embrace the promise of His power by admitting our need for His power in our life and simply ask him.
III. Request God’s Wisdom
James says in 1:5-6 If you need wisdom — if you want to know what God wants you to do — ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking. But when you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to answer, for a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. (NLT)
For the Lord grants wisdom!… For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy. Happy is the person who finds wisdom. Getting wisdom is the most important thing you can do! If you live a life guided by wisdom, you won’t limp or stumble as you run. Proverbs 2:6,10; 3:13:4:7,12 (NLT)
Turn to Jeremiah 33:3
“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” (ESV)
Here in Jeremiah it says to call to God. Then it says he promises to answer and to tell us great and hidden things we have not known. Every problem and trial and pressure in life is different so it requires God’s discernment and specific direction. When we are entrenched in the problems there are times when our best judgment is blurred. Usually from emotional issues of fear, anger, anxiety or hopelessness. Sometime our best effort to be smart in problems are not the most wise to help us get out of them. To make sure you are on the right road toward handling your problems properly there are actions and attitudes we must have in order to get God’s wisdom.
The Lord shows wisdom through…Scripture Intake and Obedience. The Bible is the primary tool the Lord will use to show his wisdom. And we are to build our life around His precepts.
Listen to these two verses:
“Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise.” Col. 3:16 NLT
“All scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives… and teaches us to do what is right. It is God’s way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do.” 2 Tim. 3:16-18 (NLT)
This is not just sixty six books of good advice. That wouldn’t be weighty enough for what I’m going to recommend to you. I recommend that you base the majority of your decisions in life on these Words of the Lord. That is a commitment I’m asking you to make. For some of you, when you request God’s wisdom, the very next thing you need to do is read the Bible looking for what God says. Start in Proverbs and the New Testament letter. Step up your Bible intake by memorizing it and studying it.
Spirit led heart
Turn to Psalm 25:4-5
Because God commands us to request His wisdom we need the help of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is called the counselor and helper. His job is to help and to counsel (John 16:13). We need to pray “Spirit be my teacher.” If we are to find wisdom from the Spirit we need to have our ears open and our hearts teachable. When problems come it is best we don’t suddenly have selective hearing. Are you a selective listener? Do you tend to hear what we want to hear? There is a story of the doctor going down the road in his car. Saw an old man jogging with a young beautiful woman. It was one of the Doctor’s patients. Stopped and rolled down his window and says, “What are you doing?” The old man said: “I’m doing what you told me to do” “What did I tell you?’ “You told me to get a hot mama and be care free!" Doctor said, “I told you you had a heart murmur and to be careful!"
When problems come pray this prayer found in Ps 25,4 “Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me Your paths; Guide me in Your Truth and teach me, for you are God, my Savior and my hope is in you all day long.” Psalm 25:4-5 (NIV) God will show wisdom through the Scripture Intake and obedience, he’ll show wisdom to a Spirit led heart and then finally through:
Spiritually mature believing mentors
“He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.” Proverbs 13:20 “Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise.” Proverbs 19:20 When problems come friends are good to have. Friends (it says in Ecclesiastes) can help you in your troubles. But when problems come and you’re looking for wisdom have a spiritual mature believer to be your mentor.
While every problem represented in this room today are not identical, there are lessons and wisdom and advice that can be given from similar life experiences. If you desire to see God move in this church, if you desire to grow through your problems, if you desire to be used in both small and little ways for God’s glory. Begin to seek out mentors who are mature in their walk. Mature men, mentor the young men. Mature women, mentor the young women. Maybe that mentoring is just for that specific issue or problem in their life, but it’s time for the mature believers in Christ here to mentor the younger believers. And it’s time for young believers to mature in their walk by handling their problems differently than yesterday by gaining wisdom from God through the body of Christ. We are a body, every part is needed.
Starting today I encourage you to handle your problems differently than yesterday. When problems come, recognize God working, rely on God’s Word and request God’s wisdom. Whatever problems you are facing today, you can rest assured that your biggest problem in this life and the next life has been handled. That is the problem of sin. Sin has and will cause a lot of the problems you face. The biggest problem sin makes is that it separates us from having a relationship with God. The consequences for our sin is that we deserve a death and eternal separation from all that God’s goodness has graced us with here. Sin has a tragic effect on our existence for all of eternity. But in God’s love for us combined with his mercy and grace and justice and holiness, sent His son Jesus Christ to take the consequences of our sinful behavior and to die and be separated from God in our place. Jesus then rose from death and is today alive and seated up on the right hand of God the Father. Now today, God offers everyone the gift of grace which if you receive today, includes forgiveness of sin, and the gift of the Holy Spirit living inside of you. But you must receive it by admitting your sin, believing Jesus died for you and rose again and is alive today, and Confess Him as your Forgiver and Leader. It can start with a very simple prayer like this:
“God I admit I’m a sinner. I believe you died for my sins to be forgiven. And that you overcame death and live at the right hand of God. I put my trust in you to save me and cause me to be born again. I want you to be the Savior of my life and the one to lead my life. I now repent of sinful practices and ask for your strength to not look back. Thank you for your mercy and grace in Jesus Name Amen.”
“Father, for your children who are here with problems, may what you spoke to them through the message, take root and the hope in which you instilled inspire beyond today. You’ve been gracious with allowing us insight on how you see problems. May we live by grace and faith through those valley’s and may we come out changed, mature and rejoicing of your good work in our life. In Jesus Name, Amen
Look down at verse 12:
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who love him.
God’s word says there is a long term benefit for those of you who handle problems correctly. If you're a believer, and you’ve opened your life to God’s Son and you know that you are going to heaven, the bible says that the rewards in heaven are going to be based on how you handle your problems. Did you learn to handle them correctly? Did you give up in the middle of them? Did you get selfish? Did you grow from them?
The title of my message is "When Problems Come" and I want to give you three distinct actions you can do to place yourself in the position for the Lord to work in your life. Take your notes, take good notes and place them in your Bible or at home on a kitchen cupboard or garage post. Some of you might not have any problems, but you will meet with some sooner or later and it’s my prayer that when you do, this outline will be readily available for you to look back on and have God work in your life in such a way that you will handle them with more maturity than you did yesterday.
I. Recognize God’s Working
“Five Ways God Works Through My Problems”
1.To Direct Me
Sometimes we are going down a wrong way, and God says, I don’t want you going that way, so he puts a roadblock in the form of a problem. “A person may plan his own journey, but the Lord directs his steps. Proverbs 16:9 (GW)
Notice that humans plan, but God directs. What does that mean? Well, you know how to plan. You set your goals, establish your priorities, clarify your values, set your dreams. But God directs. How does God direct when you are making your plans? One word: Problems. Problems change your plan. Ever noticed that? You can make your plans. The bible says you ought to make plans, but God is going to direct your life. He allows a little roadblock here when God has a better idea for your life. Sometimes it takes a painful experience to make us change our ways.
“Blows that wound cleanse away evil; strokes make clean the innermost parts.” Proverbs 20:30
Truth be told: We don’t change when we see the light. We change when we feel the heat! Pain is a powerful motivator. Sometimes God wants us to get going. Things become uneasy… things become uncomfortable. You’re not so satisfied and settled. If everything was comfortable in life, you would never change. Sometimes it takes a painful experience to change our ways. Prodigal son recap: When he came to his senses, he changed. We rarely think of the tough questions in life: Why am I here? What’s my purpose? Where will I go when I die? You rarely ask those questions when you are comfortable. It’s in the tough times you ask: What is this all about? We don’t think about our direction until we have problems. And hit bottom. God uses problems to prod us, push us, and prompt us to change. ASK: “Where is this problem leading me?
2. To Inspect Me
He Inspect our motives integrity, our heart.
“The Lord searches our hearts and examines our deepest motives so he can give to each person his right reward, according to his deeds—how he has lived.”
Jeremiah 17:10 (LB)
Turn to Proverbs 16:2
Why does God want to inspect us? Because God is more interested in our integrity than our image. He is more interested in our soul than our success. He is more interested in our inside than our outside.
“All the ways of man are pure in his own eyes but the Lord weighs the spirit.”
“Humans are satisfied with whatever looks good; but God probes for what is good.” Proverbs 16:2 (MSG). God continues to probe us and take us through the same problems: to make sure that what is good is what eventually comes out of our lives. When God puts the squeeze on you, it’s an inspection process but also a refining process. Maybe he wants to burn off selfishness, or pride, or impatience or materialism. What does he want to do in you? We need to ask, "WHAT DOES THIS PROBLEM REVEAL ABOUT ME?"
3. To Correct Me
“God corrects all of his children, and if he doesn’t correct you, then you don’t really belong to him… God corrects us for our own good, because he wants us to be holy, as he is.” Heb. 12:8-10 (CEV)
There is a Difference between correction and punishment. Punishment: Looks at the past and you are going to get in trouble for it. Correction: Looks at the future and shows us how to do it differently. Punishment: about Guilt (wrong, bad). Correction: this is the path I want you to go on in the future. When God corrects us it sometimes means facing the ugly truth about ME! Do you want to know why that crisis comes in your life? It was a wakeup call that says God wants to teach you something. God may want to teach you about a weakness, a blind spot, an area that needs to be worked on because no one is perfect. God may want to teach you about Him: his love, his care, his justice, his promises. You won’t know God as all you need, until God is all you got. Some lessons, you only learn through failure. Hot stove: You learn by being burned. Something you learn by losing them. The value of money by losing money. You take health for granted until you lose it. Lose legs or sight. The value of a relationship… after they lost it. when problems arise don’t ask why, ask what, ASK: What is this problem teaching me?
4. To Protect Me
Problems can be a blessing in disguise “God will save you from hidden traps.” Ps 91:3a (NCV) Because we can’t see them God intervenes to protect us. Shepherds in the middle east who have wandering sheep, those who wander into danger, if they can’t control that lamb, they will break the legs of it to protect it from greater harm. Sometimes God allows problems to protect us from a greater danger in our lives. Disappointments are his appointments. When problems come, we don’t have to solve the problems. God allows it to prevent a greater harm in our life.
Turn to 1 Peter 3:17. Sometimes problems come because we did the right thing. “It is better to suffer for doing good than for doing wrong…” 1 Peter 3:17 (NCV) Ex. Joseph: did right, Potiphar’s wife, went to jail. Instead of looking for who to blame, he said this: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good..” Genesis 50:20 (NIV) Joseph’s lesson is that often problems prepare us for success. All that he went through prepared him for the success in His life. It all comes down to this question: will you trust God in the midst of the problem? You don’t have to figure it out in order for God to use it. ASK: How is this problem protecting me?
5. To Perfect Me
To make us like Christ, to Grow us up spiritually. “After you have suffered for a little while {even your entire life, still a little while compared to eternity}, the God of all grace, who calls you to share his eternal glory in union with Christ, will himself perfect you and give you firmness, strength and a sure foundation.” 1 Peter 5:10 (TEV)
Your greatest spiritual growth will not come at the best worship services, the best bible studies or the mountain top spiritual experiences of life. Spiritual growth will come in the valleys, in the winter seasons of life. In the dark. These times are painful. Pain is the high cost of growth. Sometime we want the product of growth without the process. We want the growth without the pain. We want to grow up, but with no growing pains. It’s impossible. The very thing that discourages you the most is the very thing God wants to use to develop you. What discourages you, God wants to use to develop you. I don’t know what problem you're going through. But I know that they are not an accident. And I know that God will use them. And if you learn how to handle them correctly, you will be rewarded in eternity with blessing that will last forever and ever and ever. So it is vital that you learn how to handle your problems correctly. Your problems are not your problem. Your problem is how you respond to the problems of life. That’s the bigger problem. Your problems are bigger when you lose God’s perspective on it! When you throw away your values and refuse to forgive. Focus on the problem rather than God. ASK: How do you want me to respond to my problem? So the first step is to remember that when problems come is to Recognize God’s Working.
II. Rely on God’s Word
This book is the voice of God. The Holy Scriptures are the authoritative Words of God. It is alive and activated. And this point of Relying on God’s Word … for the Christian is Faith filled living 101. So many of you have heard this, tried this, and have struggled. You’ve been in the boat during storms. You’ve worried about the giants in front you. Yet the race of life you are running has limped to a crawl. And the potential maturity that is intended for you to grow has yet to be tapped.
Some of you are afraid of your problems this morning. Some of you are afraid that your family won’t make it, that your marriage will fail and that your finances won’t be enough. That your children won’t make it in life. Some of you are afraid your faith won’t last, that you will walk away from God, and that you’re not sure you even care at this moment.
But the Voice of truth: God’s word says this:
Trouble and distress have come upon me, but your commands are my delight. Ps 119:143 NIV
His commands, His words, His promises they are to be our delight. To rely on his word when problems come we must remember that God is the source of hope: Romans 15:13. Let me give you three of God’s biggest promises to you and I when problems come.
Turn with me to Isaiah 41:10
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Right here in this verse we have the three greatest promises we can claim EVERYDAY! But especially to embrace and believe during problems both big and small.
First, God promises His Presence. I am with you! God says in Hebrews 13:5 never will I leave you or forsake you. He says in Ps 32: 8 that He will watch over us and advise us. The good news is regardless of what happens, you and I don’t have to go through it alone. There is a God who will be with us. He will be there with you. That is one of the certainties of life that I can hold onto. When I hold onto that certainty, I have hope. There are a lot of uncertainties in life. The truth is, God will never leave you.
God promises His Peace
Be Not Dismayed! Why? Because, for the true believer, He is our God! When Problems come, God is not wringing his hands saying “Oh no, how’s Eric going to get out of this one?” When problems come God is offering His hands to Eric, his adopted son through Christ and saying Philippians 4:5 “The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (ESV) He is the prince of Peace! When we rely on his word, we remember in Ps 29:11 that the Lord blesses his people with peace. When we rely on His word, it says in Psalm 119: 165 great peace is given to those who love His word. When problems come peace is promised to you. Rely on his word.
God promises His Power
I will strengthen you! When we rely on God’s word we readily admit that we are weak and that he is stronger than us. But it doesn’t stop there, the Lord says in 2 Cor.: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." The apostle Paul (an example to us today) goes on and says: “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Cor 12:9-10 (NIV) When we rely on His word we embrace the promise of His power by admitting our need for His power in our life and simply ask him.
III. Request God’s Wisdom
James says in 1:5-6 If you need wisdom — if you want to know what God wants you to do — ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking. But when you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to answer, for a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. (NLT)
For the Lord grants wisdom!… For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy. Happy is the person who finds wisdom. Getting wisdom is the most important thing you can do! If you live a life guided by wisdom, you won’t limp or stumble as you run. Proverbs 2:6,10; 3:13:4:7,12 (NLT)
Turn to Jeremiah 33:3
“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” (ESV)
Here in Jeremiah it says to call to God. Then it says he promises to answer and to tell us great and hidden things we have not known. Every problem and trial and pressure in life is different so it requires God’s discernment and specific direction. When we are entrenched in the problems there are times when our best judgment is blurred. Usually from emotional issues of fear, anger, anxiety or hopelessness. Sometime our best effort to be smart in problems are not the most wise to help us get out of them. To make sure you are on the right road toward handling your problems properly there are actions and attitudes we must have in order to get God’s wisdom.
The Lord shows wisdom through…Scripture Intake and Obedience. The Bible is the primary tool the Lord will use to show his wisdom. And we are to build our life around His precepts.
Listen to these two verses:
“Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise.” Col. 3:16 NLT
“All scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives… and teaches us to do what is right. It is God’s way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do.” 2 Tim. 3:16-18 (NLT)
This is not just sixty six books of good advice. That wouldn’t be weighty enough for what I’m going to recommend to you. I recommend that you base the majority of your decisions in life on these Words of the Lord. That is a commitment I’m asking you to make. For some of you, when you request God’s wisdom, the very next thing you need to do is read the Bible looking for what God says. Start in Proverbs and the New Testament letter. Step up your Bible intake by memorizing it and studying it.
Spirit led heart
Turn to Psalm 25:4-5
Because God commands us to request His wisdom we need the help of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is called the counselor and helper. His job is to help and to counsel (John 16:13). We need to pray “Spirit be my teacher.” If we are to find wisdom from the Spirit we need to have our ears open and our hearts teachable. When problems come it is best we don’t suddenly have selective hearing. Are you a selective listener? Do you tend to hear what we want to hear? There is a story of the doctor going down the road in his car. Saw an old man jogging with a young beautiful woman. It was one of the Doctor’s patients. Stopped and rolled down his window and says, “What are you doing?” The old man said: “I’m doing what you told me to do” “What did I tell you?’ “You told me to get a hot mama and be care free!" Doctor said, “I told you you had a heart murmur and to be careful!"
When problems come pray this prayer found in Ps 25,4 “Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me Your paths; Guide me in Your Truth and teach me, for you are God, my Savior and my hope is in you all day long.” Psalm 25:4-5 (NIV) God will show wisdom through the Scripture Intake and obedience, he’ll show wisdom to a Spirit led heart and then finally through:
Spiritually mature believing mentors
“He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.” Proverbs 13:20 “Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise.” Proverbs 19:20 When problems come friends are good to have. Friends (it says in Ecclesiastes) can help you in your troubles. But when problems come and you’re looking for wisdom have a spiritual mature believer to be your mentor.
While every problem represented in this room today are not identical, there are lessons and wisdom and advice that can be given from similar life experiences. If you desire to see God move in this church, if you desire to grow through your problems, if you desire to be used in both small and little ways for God’s glory. Begin to seek out mentors who are mature in their walk. Mature men, mentor the young men. Mature women, mentor the young women. Maybe that mentoring is just for that specific issue or problem in their life, but it’s time for the mature believers in Christ here to mentor the younger believers. And it’s time for young believers to mature in their walk by handling their problems differently than yesterday by gaining wisdom from God through the body of Christ. We are a body, every part is needed.
Starting today I encourage you to handle your problems differently than yesterday. When problems come, recognize God working, rely on God’s Word and request God’s wisdom. Whatever problems you are facing today, you can rest assured that your biggest problem in this life and the next life has been handled. That is the problem of sin. Sin has and will cause a lot of the problems you face. The biggest problem sin makes is that it separates us from having a relationship with God. The consequences for our sin is that we deserve a death and eternal separation from all that God’s goodness has graced us with here. Sin has a tragic effect on our existence for all of eternity. But in God’s love for us combined with his mercy and grace and justice and holiness, sent His son Jesus Christ to take the consequences of our sinful behavior and to die and be separated from God in our place. Jesus then rose from death and is today alive and seated up on the right hand of God the Father. Now today, God offers everyone the gift of grace which if you receive today, includes forgiveness of sin, and the gift of the Holy Spirit living inside of you. But you must receive it by admitting your sin, believing Jesus died for you and rose again and is alive today, and Confess Him as your Forgiver and Leader. It can start with a very simple prayer like this:
“God I admit I’m a sinner. I believe you died for my sins to be forgiven. And that you overcame death and live at the right hand of God. I put my trust in you to save me and cause me to be born again. I want you to be the Savior of my life and the one to lead my life. I now repent of sinful practices and ask for your strength to not look back. Thank you for your mercy and grace in Jesus Name Amen.”
“Father, for your children who are here with problems, may what you spoke to them through the message, take root and the hope in which you instilled inspire beyond today. You’ve been gracious with allowing us insight on how you see problems. May we live by grace and faith through those valley’s and may we come out changed, mature and rejoicing of your good work in our life. In Jesus Name, Amen
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