Prescription For A Difficult Situation

Text: Psalm 37

A Personal Note ~ Throughout my Christian walk, God has blessed me with wonderful mentors who took the time to help me develop in Christ. This particular blog is a sample of one of the messages that our Associate Pastor at First Baptist Church, Houston, Texas preached during the time I was in seminary at Southwestern in Fort Worth, Texas. May the Lord use it to encourage each of you and as a gentle reminder of God's sufficiency in your lives.

Promise - Availability of our Savior to meet our needs. No matter how difficult the situation is, God cares and is available and yes, we will survive.

3 Positions for the Prescription

1. Prayer
2. Praise
3. Perseverance

7 Part Prescription to a Difficult Situation

1. Do not fret, verse 1
2. Trust in the Lord, verse 3
3. Feed on His faithfulness, verse 3
4. Delight yourself in the Lord, verse 4
5. Commit your way to the Lord, verse 5
6. Be still and rest in the Lord, verse 7
7. Cease from anger, verse 8

A Reminder - Through long-suffering, we learn to discover the heart of God.

Additional B-12 Passages That Compliment This Prescription

• Proverbs 12:25
• Proverbs 12:18-19
• Proverbs 4:13, 20-27
• Psalm 141:3-4
• I Peter 3:7

Key & a Must - Pray about every situation!

Questions To Ask Yourself?

1. What does God say?
   
   * Turn the other cheek; Matthew 5:39
   
   * Forgive 70 x 7; Matthew 18:21
   
   * Feed on Jesus; John 6:48-71
   
   
2. What would Jesus do?
   
   
3. What would you have me to do Jesus?

Always remember, we must be redemptive! We can't but Jesus CAN!

God is greater . . . Matthew 23:27; take a peek at Jesus' confrontation. He gets to the heart of the matter; thereby true change occurs.

Other supporting passages: Colossians 2:13 and Ephesians 4:32. Apart from the Lord Jesus Christ living in and through us, we will cave in any difficult situation. Sometimes, they occur because of self-affliction, at the hands of others or the Lord is allowing it to occur to strengthen our faith. Regardless how they come to each of us, we are to abide in Christ and trust Him to see us through.

Along with prayer, I have found immersing myself in God's Word is paramount. It is vital that we call to remembrances of God's faithfulness our pasts, presents and in the future. The enemy would deceive us and cause us to have a form of spiritual amnesia. Please take the time to read 2 Peter 1 where Peter reminds us of our calling and our position in Christ.

A final thought from John 16:33 from Jesus Himself, "I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]" (Amplified Bible)

Does that not encourage your hearts today dear ones? My heart is encouraged and strengthen in the Lord. May yours be also.