Sabbath 10/3/15 Daytona SDB Church Pastor Wray sermon “Surviving Your Circumstances”

Sabbath 10/3/15 Daytona SDB Church Pastor Wray sermon “Surviving Your Circumstances” I Kings 17:1-7

To survive your circumstances, look at the Word of God because there is Hope. Things may appear to be impossible, but with God all things are possible! God is all powerful and He holds the future in His hands. In our text, Elijah is in a bad situation. He may have been tempted to feel sorry for himself, but he was faithful to God and God was faithful to him. We can see thru Elijah’s story how we can survive our circumstances.

1) Live for the Lord:
This is the way to survive your circumstances. It may also be the cause of your situation too. Elijah was a prophet of God that was sent to confront the wickedness of Ahab and Jezebel. Elijah was in his situation because God designed it that way. We, being children of God, will face difficulty as a direct result of our obedience to God. Being a Christian will sometimes bring difficulties to us because of our belief in the Lord. Many Christians in Iran are imprisoned for their faith in God. We, being servants of God who are obedient to the Lord, will face difficulty. Many of us have bills we cannot pay, have sicknesses, disobedient children, addicted family members and failing marriages. Some of us Christians are in the midst of great storms. The only hope we have of surviving our circumstances is to live for the Lord. We can rest assured that if we live for the Lord, He will protect us even in our valley of difficulty. Live for the Lord!

2) Listen to the Lord:
vs. 2 God told Elijah to go to the brook. When we live for the Lord, He will speak to us and lead us thru the valley we are in. When God speaks, whether we like it or not, we are to do what He says. God will lead us and guide us in our times of trouble. We may find ourselves in difficult places and all alone. But..when Jesus is all we have, He is ALL we need! Sometimes our plans are far different from God’s plan but listen to God anyway. Trust God always! In the worse of circumstance, God is still present. Trust God always and He will provide when resources are lacking. Sometimes God sends us into the midst of the storm but He will always be there to calm the waters. When He sends us into a storm, there is a reason and God has a plan for our lives. This is even when we have to go where we don’t want to go or stay where we don’t want to stay. In the midst of bad circumstances, when we are tired and weary, trust God and wait on Him. God’s grace is sufficient for us and His strength is greatest in our weakness. God is working, teaching, training and purifying us. Be willing to listen to God.

3) Look to the Lord:
Vs. 4 God is faithful to provide for us like He was faithful to Elijah with the ravens bringing him bread. Elijah stayed where God said to stay and did what God said. God ordered provisions for Elijah and they were to be provided at the brook. Elijah stayed at the brook and didn’t leave to go looking someplace else. Look to the Lord and to Him alone.

4) Lean on the Lord:
Surviving circumstances requires FAITH. Elijah did what God said, where God said and had Faith in the Lord. The only hope that Elijah had was his trust in the Lord. We may be all alone in our circumstances when our family and friends can’t help. Lean on the one who put us in our circumstances. Lean on the one who can save us and provide for us. Trust God to take care of us. Jesus is the one we need to have faith in and obedience to. God doesn’t’ tell us what the future holds but He does tell us to trust in Him.

5) Learn from the Lord:
Over time, Elijah’s brook dried up. Elijah did not move until God told him the next thing to do. The brook drying up did not surprise the Lord. When our circumstances drastically change, God is not surprised. The will of God will not lead us where the grace of God cannot keep us. The Bible says that all things work for the good of those who love the Lord. We may get surprised by life’s circumstance, but God is not surprised and has a plan to take care of things. We need to learn that God is faithful to provide for us. Period!

God may have placed you in a difficult situation or you may have been in a valley for a long time. It may seem that you cannot take one more step and you feel helpless. You are asking God how you can survive. You must Live, Listen, Look, Lean and Learn from the Lord. It is worth it to obey God. No matter how difficult your circumstances, you can survive!
AMEN
 
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