Archive for perserverance
FINDING VICTORY IN YOUR VALLEY
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FINDING VICTORY IN YOUR VALLEY
by Eddie Lawrence
INTRODUCTION: I read a story about a man who saw an eagle. He said this….Once when I was in Switzerland I saw an eagle, a splendid bird, but it was chained to a rock. It had some twenty or thirty feet of chain attached to its legs, and to an iron bolt in the rock. There was the king of birds, meant to soar into Heaven, chained to earth. That is the life of multitudes of believers. Are you allowing business, are you allowing the cares of the world, are you allowing the flesh to chain you down, so that you cannot rise?
Is this a picture of your life right now? Are you being overcome by life's circumstances? Are you finding it hard to rise up and be who you know God has called you to be? The Scripture speaks to us on our place as Spirit born believers. Listen to what John wrote in 1 John 5…
TEXT: 1 John 5:For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. 4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
Transition: The above passage is rich in its content. Through God's Love and Obeying the God of Love we who have been born again are positioned to be overcomers. Our victory to overcome is found in placing our faith in the Victor himself…Jesus Christ. There is no situation beyond the reach of Calvary's power. We need to remember this in our seasons of struggle. The enemy desires for us to forget this power to overcome so that we can be overcome.
Let me share with you three things to remember to help you find and live in this victory in your valley.
1. Remember Your Victories
In the Old Testament, the people of God would gather together stones and mark a place where they had experience God in some type of breakthrough or victory.
1 Chronicles 16:12 Remember His marvelous works which He has done,His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth,…
Psalm 78:41 Yes, again and again they tempted God,
And limited the Holy One of Israel.
42 They did not remember His power:
The day when He redeemed them from the enemy,
43 When He worked His signs in Egypt,
And His wonders in the field of Zoan;
Paul reminds us that even the enemy of death cannot stand against the victory that is ours in Christ. Listen to these verses:
1 Corinthians 15:56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
Each time we partake of Holy Communion we are celebrating the victory we have through Christ.
2. Remember Your Valleys
Notice in the following passage mention is made of passing through the valley of Baca.
Psalm 84:5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in You,
Whose heart is set on pilgrimage.
6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca,
They make it a spring;
The rain also covers it with pools.
7 They go from strength to strength;
Each one appears before God in Zion.
Baca is a word that has dual meanings: It can be translated "garbage heap or dump" and it is also translated "a place of weeping or tears." In both instances, the picture is not a pretty one but one we often face in life.
A. TRASHY TIMES–These are the times of failure, of wasted opportunities, of bad choices and ruined relationships. The place of disposal where life has tossed you into the dump.
B. TRAGIC TIMES–These are the times when you are pinned to the mat, cornered in the ring, and facing "inevitable defeat." These "no way out" moments tax and test us to the hilt. Will our God come through? These are times of tears and weeping.
Quote: A man by the name of William Ward said, "We should be thankful for our tears: They prepare us for a clearer vision of God."
What testimonies could you share today of being rescued from the trash heap or of God reversing your circumstances when it seemed impossible?
3. Remember Your Victories Often Come Through Your Valleys
Notice this passage again…it says they made a spring and were strengthened in the valley of Baca. Isn't it true that it is often in the struggle that we find the strength of God?
Wow…from the garbage dump to the palace! From under the heel of the enemy to your heel on the head of the enemy. These are the turnaround situations God specializes in. These are the stories created through the power of the cross and the favor of God that is now upon us who were once sinners. Yahooooooooooo!!
Psalm 84:5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in You,
Whose heart is set on pilgrimage.
6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca,
They make it a spring;
The rain also covers it with pools.
7 They go from strength to strength;
Each one appears before God in Zion.
Is it not true that as New Testament believers we have a Spring inside of us now through the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit brings to us the refreshing strength and grace of Christ to live in victory in all circumstances. Even death has no hold on the believer. Whatever it is that we need, Christ will supply it to us through His Spirit.
Illustration: Allow me to read to you from a devotional that once appeared in OUR DAILY BREAD:
In northern Chile, between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, lies a narrow strip of land where the sun shines every day! Clouds gather so seldom over the valley that one can say, "It almost never rains here!" Morning after morning the sun rises brilliantly over the tall mountains to the east. Each noon it shines brightly overhead, and every evening it brings a picturesque sunset. Although storms are often seen rising high in the mountains, and heavy fog banks hand their gray curtains far over the sea, Old Sol continues to shed his warming rays upon this "favored" and protected strip of territory. One might imagine this area to be an earthly paradise, but is far from that! It is a sterile and desolate wilderness! There are no streams of water, and nothing grows there.
We often long for total sunshine and continuous joy in life, and we desire to avoid the heartaches that bring tears to our eyes. Like that sunny, unfertile part of Chile, however, life without clouds and even an occasional downpour would not be productive or challenging. But though showers do come, they will also end, and the sun will shine again. "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." (Psalm 30:5).
Let me remind you of the Psalm of David we call the Shepherd's Psalm. Here are a few verses that tie in with finding victory in the valleys of life and even death.
Psalm 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil; For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.
POEM: VISION ACROSS THE VALLEY
I stood upon the hillside
In driving mist and rain.
The wind was round me whistling
A sobbing, sad refrain.
But away across the valley
The hill was bathed in light,
And in its golden glory
Was radiantly bright.
But would I reach that hillside
This valley I must tread:
The glory of the sunlight
Is to the valley wed.
And so, methought, how often
The story of our years
Is but a glimpse of glory
Through vision cleared by tears.—F. H. Oakley
CONCLUSION: Are you in a valley right now in your life? Let me encourage you believer…..you are still an overcomer through the One who has overcome. His victory is now your victory. His strength is now your strength. Have faith. Remember this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.
For those of you who do not yet know Christ….place your faith in Him today. When you do, He will forgive you, fill you with His peace and power that will enable you to rise up in Him and overcome.
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Why I Won’t Quit! – E.V. Hill
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Are you being tempted to give up? Would you like to be encouraged? Then take a few minutes and listen to one of the greatest exhorters of all times– The Late Dr. E.V. Hill. A saying we use here in the South is "If this doesn't light your fire, your wood's wet!" Well, preacher friend, even if your wood's wet, this will likely fan into flame the gift of God that is within you.
We often need to be fed before we have something to feed others. This segment of a sermon Dr. Hill preached on TBN a few years ago will encourage you.
CLICK HERE to view this preaching video and thank you for visiting Sermon Seedbed. Be encouraged that your ministry matters to God and to others.
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The Race, The Rehearsal, The Ring
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The Race, The Rehearsal, The Ring
by Eddie Lawrence
TEXT: 1 Corinthians 9: 24 Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! 25 All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. 26 So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. 27 I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.
1. YOU'RE IN A RACE
-The race of the Christian life is a marathon not a sprint.
-You must train for the long run which requires more work than running a 40 yard sprint.
-People who can do well in a 40 yard sprint are terrible in a marathon if they have not trained for the long run.
-Christians are runners in for the long run.
-Fortunately if you trip up in a long run, you chance of recovery is much better than in a sprint.
-If you do not realize you are in a race, then you will not enjoy the prize that could be yours.
2. YOU'RE IN A REHEARSAL
25 All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize…..27 I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.
-What you do everyday builds into you what you will need for every test. This is the discipline of the Christian life.
-Learn to pray daily so you do not exist on a 911 kind of prayer life when you only call on God in an emergency.
-Learn to give on a daily basis so that you will have sown what you need to have harvest when you are surrounded by famine.
-Learn to use God's Word daily so that when the enemy comes, your sword is handy and you know how to use it.
-You don't build a storm cellar during a storm, you prepare it ahead of time. Do the same with your life.
-See everyday as a rehearsal preparing you for those big tests.
-As a matter of fact, it is the daily workouts that equip us for the big tests.
3. YOU'RE IN A RING
26 So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing.
-Paul saw purpose in ever step he took, each day he lived. This is the right way to have big picture thinking. You see how "today's choices" impact "tomorrow's results."
-Shadowboxing is the picture of a boxer fighting an imaginary opponent. Again, the idea is Paul saw himself constantly in the ring preparing so that when the test comes, he's ready.
Illus-Imagine an olympic boxer going to the olympics having done nothing between the time he qualified and the beginning of the Olympic games. These months of not preparing, more than likely, would spell an early defeat when the bell rang on round one of his first boxing match.
Conclusion- Don't ever let up or give up! As the writer of Hebrews says, "Looking unto Jesus…." Keep your eyes on him.
Realize you are in the race, every day you are preparing for the next test and the great day when you stand before Jesus the Christ.
See the value of shadowboxing so that you can continue to be useful and useable in the purposes of the Kingdom.
It takes a long term commitment in order to run in the long term race. Maybe you need to renew your commitment today….
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What Will I Cry? – sermon
Posted by: | CommentsOne of my sermon subscription subscribers requested an outline on Isaiah 40. As I studied it, this is a message of encouragement I begin to see.
WHAT SHALL I CRY?
by Eddie Lawrence
Isaiah 40:3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
“ Prepare the way of the LORD;
Make straight in the desert[a]
A highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be exalted
And every mountain and hill brought low;
The crooked places shall be made straight
And the rough places smooth;
5 The glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
And all flesh shall see it together;
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
6 The voice said, “Cry out!”
And he[b] said, “What shall I cry?”
In Isaiah 40 the Prophet tells of the voice crying out to God's people to get ready. This was fulfilled by John the Baptist who was the forerunner for Jesus himself.
All through the rest of the chapter the writer tells us how great God is and that He rules over all and will have His way. It also contains some powerful truths of what God says He will do for HIs people. Now we know that He does this for us through Christ. So I encourage you dear believer to know four things that I have selected from these verses. I want to cry them out to you.
I will cry:
1. GOD'S STRONG ARM WILL BRING YOUR REWARD
Isaiah 40:10 Behold, the Lord GOD shall come with a strong hand,
And His arm shall rule for Him;
Behold, His reward is with Him,
And His work before Him.
-When it is all said and done, what God says will be done!
-Claim that truth for your life as you are surrounded by a mountain of seemingly impossible circumstances.
-He is faithful. You are His child. He will not abandon you.
-Do not think anyone or anything is greater than your God.
-Remember He is for you, not against you.
-He's got a strong arm and strong hand.
-Read all the great things Isaiah 40 reminds us that God has done.
2. GOD WILL SHEPHERD YOU IF YOU WILL FOLLOW
Isaiah 40:11 He will feed His flock like a shepherd;
He will gather the lambs with His arm,
And carry them in His bosom,
And gently lead those who are with young.
-Though He is all powerful, He is also so gentle and loving.
-Notice the terms used to describe how He sheperds:
a. He gathers (He can brings things together, people together, you together with Him)
b. He carries (How many times has He carried you when you could go no further. Remember the footprints in the sand poem).
c. He gently leads (He is not a demanding tyrant. He is a gentle leader, expecially when we have childlike hearts.)
3. GOD WILL GIVE YOU POWER WHEN YOU ARE WEAK
Isaiah 40:29 He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
-If you are weak and without strength, you qualify for a God encounter with His power.
-Claim this verse in your weakness.
-There is something about your weakness that draws the power of God toward you.
4. GOD WILL RENEW YOU WHEN YOU WAIT ON HIM
Isaiah 40:30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
31 But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
-God honors patience.
-The person willing to wait on God wins.
-If you want to fly, then learn to die. Die to wanting to do things your own way to speed them up.
-Renewal is so needed when we are tired, weary, and battleworn.
-What does verse 31 tell us about the heart of God? He is drawn to those who are willing to wait upon Him.
-So often we think the opposite. We think we can get Heaven's attention by running out on an impulse that we call courage. It often requires more courage to wait than to charge off into a hunch. Wait on the Lord and He will renew you.
CONCLUSION – When the heat is on, and the enemy tries to get you to doubt just Who your God is. Then just cry these things out over your life. It will help you to cry out!
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The No Quit Formula
Posted by: | CommentsThe No Quit Formula
By Eddie Lawrence
A few years ago I heard a missionary by the name of Allen Skelton share a sermon out of Galatians 6:9 which really spoke to my heart. What I really remember him saying that has stuck with me is, "If you don't quit, you won't fail!"
I think it is so important to have an "Anti-Quit" attitude.
Galatians 6:9 says, "And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." (NKJV)
See, there it is, if you don't quit, you want fail. It seems that this is an attribute that people possess who really accomplish things in life.
There are three very simple ways you can avoid experiencing failure:
1. Never start anything.
This is the one for the real whimps.
The people who never start anything usually do. They start trouble for others by criticizing and complaining about what somebody else should do.
This is not a viable option because it is deception. When you do not take the courageous steps you should to do what has been placed in your heart to do, you will always be frustrated at your self and others. Living a life of frustration is a miserable way to avoid risking success. So do something, but not the wrong thing which brings us to the next piece of advice.
2. Never start anything with a wrong end in view.
This can keep you out of lots of trouble.
Notice the context of the above verse is about doing good and to keep on doing good.
-Starting something in order to harm or somehow disrupt the lives of others is to be avoided.
-We all are tempted to start out in wrong directions with our lives. Do a U-turn if you do.
-We all -An affair would not damage or end a marriage if it was never started.
-A man would not have lost his paycheck had he not bet that first dollar.
Look at the end of the road you are thinking about traveling on before you press the accelerator.
3. Never stop what you start until you do what you set out to do.
This can help you accomplish more than you can imagine.
-This does not mean there will not be times when you fall down, but you get back up and keep going.
-This does not mean there will not be set backs, but you will not stay on your back.
-This does not mean that you will not be knocked out, but you will whiff some smelling salts and get up and start swinging again.
Think of Paul and all he went through. Thank God he did not quit. He died with a sword falling on his neck, but the words he wrote while waiting for that to happen still encourage people all around the world. He did what he could do as long as he could do it, and then breathed his last. That's a success!
There are dreams inside of you as well my friend. What potential you possess. You can do it! You can do all things through Christ who is your strength. Search your heart for that destination God has placed inside you. It is the thing that makes your spirit leap, and your heart come alive. Go for it!
So, develop an "Anti-Quit" Attitude. READY? Then get started with it……
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No Retirement in the Kingdom — sermon manuscript
Posted by: | Comments(The following sermon was written and contributed by Diane Harrington who resides in South Carolina. It is obvious that the Lord has blessed Diane with a writing and teaching gift. Thanks to her for this message.)
N
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Confidence in A Crisis — sermon notes
Posted by: | Comments(The following sermon notes are contributed by Pastor David O. Cofield. Thanks Pastor David for the great work. You can check out his blog at www.energizingword.org)
Confidence in a Crisis
Daniel 6
This is the most familiar of all of Daniel’s stories. Lion’s den. A new
government under Darius had taken over and just like the old regime,
he makes an image of himself for all to pray toward. But Daniel won’t
do it and his consequence is being thrown into the lions den.
There are many lions we all face: bitterness, anger, relational,
parenting, financial, disease, aging. We live in a dog-eat-dog (lion-eat-lion)
world.
May be we get to the point that we think the crisis will be over, but I
remind you Daniel is at least in his late 80’s here.
How can we face it with confidence?
I. Confidence is seen with a thankful attitude.
Verse 3– Daniel had a good spirit or attitude. This is not “Spirit,” but
spirit. He had a good attitude about him.
Verse 10—Daniel was giving thanks and the Bible says, “he knelt.”
Ephesians 5:20 “Giving thanks always for all things to God the
Father…”
Philippians 4:6 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer
and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known
to God;”
When you face a crisis, open your mouth and thank God. There is
power in the spoken Word over your own live.
Life is not fair adding to the fact that the devil hates God and His
followers.
II. Confidence is strengthened with a consistent walk.
This is the first time we learn about Daniel’s daily walk with God and
we are very impressed, but not shocked.
The King noted in verse 20—”the God you continually serve.” Does
our friends, family note that we walk “to a different drum beat?”
Psalm 55: 17 “Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry
aloud, and He shall hear my voice.”
Why did he do this? Praying toward Jerusalem is in obedience to II
Chron. 6:36-39.
He knew the Word of God.
His walk produced purity.—verse 4
His walk produced power. – we’ll see this in a moment
His walk produced protection. – verse 23
III. Confidence is solidified with complete trust in God.
The lions would be purposely starved to be used as executioners. And
note in verse 17 that over the cave a stone was rolled, the king’s signet
was attached so that nothing could be changed. Remember another
time that a stone was rolled over a cave, the king’s secured the place so
nothing could be changed.
This is a foreshadowing of the resurrection in the OT.
Daniel faced the lions knowing well the Lion of Judah.
God sent an angel to his defense. If one angel can slay 185,000
Assyrians, surely one angel can take care of a group of lions.
Doesn’t mean protection that you won’t ever go through trials.
Daniel missed the fiery furnace, but not the den of lions.
Isaiah was sawn in half, Paul’s head was severed and Peter was
crucified upside down.
But Daniel had “no injury -wound.” The word means “to ruin…to hurt,
injure.”
Psalm 55:18 (NIV) “He ransoms me unharmed from the battle waged
against me…”
We may be engaged in the battle, but we don’t have to be wounded by
the battle.
Notice the reason why no “wound” was found. Verse 23 – “because he
believed in his God.”
II Timothy 4: 17—Paul was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. He
had been left alone humanly, but God was with him and delivered him.
Ernest Wadsworth—”Pray for a faith that will not shrink when washed
in the waters of affliction.”
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Run to the Kingdom — sermon idea
Posted by: | CommentsThe following excerpt is from John Bunyan’s (1628-1688) Sermon, THE HEAVENLY FOOTMAN. based on the phrase, "So run that ye may obtain." found in I Cor. 9:24. I revised the layout slightly, but as you can see, his nine points below would make for some good preaching or a great devotional talk. I am titling the exerpt, RUN TO THE KINGDOM. Enjoy it!
RUN TO THE KINGDOM
Get thy will tipped with the heavenly grace, and resolution against all discouragements, and then thou goest full speed for heaven; but if thou falter in thy will, and be not found there, thou wilt run hobbling and halting all the way thou runnest, and also to be sure thou wilt fall short at last. The Lord give thee a will and courage.
Thus I have done with directing thee how to run to the kingdom; be sure thou keep in memory what I have said unto thee, lest thou lose thy way. But because I would have thee think of them, take all in short in this little bit of paper.
1. Get into the way.
2. Then study on it.
3. Then, strip, and lay aside everything that would hinder.
4.. Beware of by-paths.
5. Do not gaze and stare too much about thee, but be sure to ponder the path of thy feet.
6. Do not stop for any that call after thee, whether it be the world, the flesh, or the devil: for all these will hinder thy journey, if possible.
7. Be not daunted with any discouragements thou meetest with as thou goest.
8. Take heed of stumbling at the cross.
9. Cry hard to God for an enlightened heart, and a willing mind, and God give thee a prosperous journey.
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