Brother Rick Sunday School 2/9/14

Brother Rick Sunday School 2/9/14

How to handle difficulties:  we all have difficulties in life.  Whether we are saved or not they are a part of life.  Aren’t you glad that we have God to help in the difficulties?  There have been difficulties with broken and frozen pipes during this cold weather.  During the difficulties stay calm and trust God to help.

Feb 4^th Streams in the Desert (Isaiah 58:14)

Sufferings are God’s winds, sometimes contrary and strong.  They take human life and lift it to higher levels.  When the storm breaks then the atmosphere is changed, clarified.  The wind finds voice not when rushing across the sea but when hindered by the trees.

Joh 16:33  These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

That is a tall order: to be of good cheer when you don’t feel that way at all.  Just how can we handle difficulties in life?  There are many forms:  oppressions, depressions, mind battles, and other things like frozen pipes.  God wants us to have the victory in every difficulty.

Sister Brenda: We need to live so that we are full of God and have the power of God in our lives.  That takes an everyday living close to God.  If we become lackadaisical and lukewarm and then are thrown into a battle then we have a hard time.  I pray God that He will help me to be strong for whatever comes in my life.  The Olympic athletes don’t start training right before the competition, they must start years before.

Brother Gyme:We have to face life.  Sometimes we don’t want to deal with it, but we must face the trials and the storms.  If we try to go past then we will not get through it.  It is not all that pleasant and may hurt to face some things.  If we are to get past then we must face them.  I have learned to be honest and face it and then it takes the pressure off.  I cannot change the way it is but I can go forward doing right.  Sometimes we don’t have the answer and must wait.

We have to hold faith and do what we know to do and then back off and leave it with God.  We are not going to go through anything without this faith.

Lord help me to whatever comes handle it in the right way.

Sister Dorothy: Remember that this is good for us.  I think the hardest thing weather wise that I have to face is the wind.  In our life those things are good for us because they help us to rely on God number one and they help us to get stronger. 

I asked my sister if she was able yet to sit on the edge of the bed.  She told me that the therapist had said that she was not ready yet but she thought she might be able to.  She finally got them to let her try and they were amazed, “You are doing better than I thought.”  Spiritually we must try and we can build strength.  Sometimes it amazes even us that we can have the strength through God.

We can lay the difficulties all on God.  We must do our part sure, but it is so good that we can lay it all on God.

Sister Darla: The thought that has been good to me is, “Be still and know that I am God.”  It was hard when Myron was killed, but it seemed that God said, “This is from me.”  The scripture says, “All things work for good.”  All.  We can look at trials as knowing that it is for our good we don’t know what the good is, yet we don’t have to have the “Why did you do it God?”  We can just know that it all works for good.

Brother Bill: The trial that I just came through was the hardest trial that I have ever been through as far as my work related situations.  I did try to trust God and rely on His promises.  It seemed that in the midst waves of fear and distress came in.  Peter walking on the water: as long as He kept his eyes on Jesus he did ok.  When he looked at the storm he got in trouble as far as the situation.   

When waves of despair or anguish tried to come upon me, I got to the place where I resisted the waves of despair and instead looked to God.  “Lord I am going to trust you.” 

I felt that was a good thing to do that.  I don’t lesson or belittle the trials that us saints go through, but we have been around the church and God long enough to know that God keeps His Word.  I know that from the depths of my heart.  “God I don’t know how this will all work out, but God, I know that you are going to rescue and see us though.” That can be, as brother Gary has been preaching, a refuge from the storm.

Sometimes faith is a choice.  We choose to believe.  We have to believe that God is a loving God.  He is a loving God.  We need to learn how to be of good cheer when we are going through difficulties.

To be of good Cheer means to instill with hope or courage.  God is allowing the difficulties for our good.  It means to rejoice, be glad, or happy.  You ask, “How can I rejoice with what I am going through?”  God wants us to because He is in control.

Heb 10:35  Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.

Heb 10:36  For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.

Heb 11:32  And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:

Heb 11:33  Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,

Heb 11:34  Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.

Heb 11:35  Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:

Heb 11:36  And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:

Heb 11:37  They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;

Heb 11:38  (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

Heb 11:39  And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:

Heb 11:40  God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

You wonder sometimes what Daniel was thinking when they were placing him in the den of lions.  Was He exercising faith, praying?  What was he thinking?  He had it settled.

Quench the violence of fire.  Sister Dorothy made it through losing her home by fire.  It brought her closer to God and gave her strength when many things could not have.

It takes strength to believe that God will take us through.  Heart Talks, When Adversity Comes, and good books like that can help us when we are in difficulties.

There are times when we go through periods where we don’t have confidence in our self because of how the enemy is working in our mind.  We just need to get a grip on God and say, “I can believe, I will believe.  He is a God of loving kindness and He will help us through no matter what comes our way.”

Others were tortured not accepting deliverance: What some of those saints of old went through is incredible.  We have not gone through any difficulties as hard as some of the martyrs went through.

Bonds and imprisonments:  Look at some of the good that has come out of say John Bunyan being in prison.  God has a reason for these things.  It is not always pleasant, but if we will hold faith, then God will work it for our good and for others good.

Destitute, afflicted, tormented:  Adversities and difficulties are a part of life and we need to know how to handle them when they come.  Most of the devotionals in Streams in the Desert are about how to handle difficulties.

Wandered in desert:  We all have a place to live and to get out of the weather, we are doing pretty good.

Sister Sue:  Daniel had it right.  He did not obey the law of the land when he prayed.  His heart was right with God. When they got him out of the den he said, “My God has sent His angel and shut the lions mouth and they did not hurt me for as much as I was innocent.” 

Sometimes we must look at the trials and go over our life and make sure that there is not something that we have done and we are innocent. 

It ends with “So Daniel prospered.”

There is real strength in truth.  If we are in a situation where we have been abused, we don’t have to prove we are right.  We can just live right and know that God knows all about it.  People can try to help us along, but there is no strength like the strength that God has. 

Sometimes our difficulties are imaginary.  I still after being saved all these years have problems with accusations. 

Brother Gyme: I was taught in school that 90% of the time we worry about things that are never going to happen.  Sometimes that is easier said than done. 

Worry does not accomplish one good thing.  God can help us to get our mind trained to exercise our faith and have our minds on the good things of God. 

Brother John: When things surprise us we must remember that nothing surprises God and He already had it all lined out.  We have to have a level of confidence that this must be because God decided it.  There must be a victory through it because He has already decided it.  There will be a way through it.

1Pe 4:12  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

1Pe 4:13  But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

“This is the worst thing that has ever happened, can I have to go through this?” 

Sister Brenda:  We are the most blessed people in the world, because we know that all things work together for good.  That scripture fits for God’s people.  We know…  God will allow nothing to come to His children but He will help us through.

Have courage in yourself, “I really don’t want this temptation, I’m not going to have a bad attitude,… have confidence in yourself, “We don’t have to give into this.  I am going God’s way no matter.”

When you have done your best let Jesus do the rest.

The three Hebrew children had the attitude, “Even if God doesn’t deliver…”  There are some things that God doesn’t deliver us from, but we must have confidence when we travel through life.  God was with the three Hebrew children in the fire.

After we come through the battle we can encourage one another, “You know brother and sister, God will help you he helped me.”

Rom 8:16  The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

Rom 8:17  And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

Isn’t it wonderful to get the victory?  If we did not go through the trials then how would get the victory or prove to ourselves and whoever is watching that God is able to give the victory?