TROUBLE TROUBLE TROUBLE

Greetings and Salutations...O Troubled Ones.

"Lord, how are they increased that trouble me? Many are they that rise up against me.  Many are saying of my soul...there is no help for him in God." (Psalm 3:1-2)

In this world that we live in...on this whirling, swirling, ball of confusion called Planet Earth...aka the third rock from the sun...we are ALL faced with TROUBLE.  If you are living and breathing...something BAD will happen to you at some point in time.

In the Ruminator Sunday School Class...we call this THE LAND OF NITTY GRITTY...where life is tough and the good, bad and ugly occurs.  How we either react (in the flesh) or respond (in the Spirit) will determine how we come out the other side of our TROUBLES.  We will either have death (flesh) or life and peace (Spirit) (Romans 8:6)  The Shepherd King...David wrote about walking "through the valley of the shadow of death"...TROUBLE...and NOT FEARING because the Lord is WITH HIM. (Psalm 23:4)

If you look at the dry erase board picture...we all have this in common...we are a triune being made up of spirit (pneuma)...soul (psyche) and body (soma).  There are outside sources that attack us on a daily basis.  Now to be sure...some of the stuff that happens to us (Christians and non-Christians alike) are a result of our own choices.  We shoot ourselves in the foot like Barney Fife with a fast draw.  Andy told him to keep the bullet in his pocket...but he just had to load the gun.  Many times the troubles are the result of living in a cursed and fallen world and we just experience what's out there.  At other times...there are well orchestrated schemes of the devil designed to kill, steal and destroy.  Many times we blame all of our troubles on God...or yield to the lie that God is teaching us by making bad things happen to us...and these TROUBLES are just OUR CROSS TO BEAR.  If it us shooting ourselves in the foot...REPENT.  If it is just the curse of the world...CHOOSE TO PRESS INTO THE BLESSINGS OF GOD.  If it is schemes of the d-evil one...HUMBLE YOURSELF UNDER THE MIGHTY AND OF GOD...AND RESIST THE DEVIL.

Whatever is the reason for the TROUBLE...the solution is in THE BUT FACTOR. 

"BUT...Thou, O Lord are a shield about me...the glory and the lifter of my head...I was crying to the Lord with my voice, and He answered me from His holy mountain. SELAH (ruminate about that)." (Psalm 3:2-4)

I like these pictures of LIGHTHOUSES, with structures that HOUSE the LIGHTS...that warns ships of impending danger of get to close to the rocky shorelines and crashing and sinking the ships.

How many Christians who have not heeded the WARNING LIGHTS...and found themselves SHIPWRECKED needlessly?  They choose not to listen to the Word of God, The Spirit of God, brothers and sisters in the Lord who warn them that they are about to make grave errors concerning their faith.
"Where there is no guidance, the people fall...but in the abundance of counselors...there is victory (there is safety in a multitude of counselors)"
( Pro-Verbs 11:14)

"This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT...KEEPING FAITH...and GOOD CONSCIENCE...which some have rejected and SUFFERED SHIPWRECK in regard to THEIR FAITH." (I Timothy 1:18-19)

Bob Mumford in his book TAKE ANOTHER LOOK AT GUIDANCE...gives an example from his navy days about how things line up...for ships and for believers.

"A certain harbor in Italy can be reached only by sailing up a narrow channel between DANGEROUS ROCKS and SHOALS.  Over the years many ships have bee wrecked here, and navigation is extremely HAZARDOUS.  To guide the ships SAFELY into port, THREE LIGHTS have been mounted on three huge poles in the harbor.  When the three lights or poles are PERFECTLY LINED UP and SEEN AS ONE...the ship can safely proceed up the narrow channel.  If the pilot sees two lights or three separately, he knows that he's OFF COURSE and in DANGER!"

"For out safety in navigating our SHIPS OF LIFE...God has provided three beacons to guide us.  The same rules of navigation apply to us as to the harbor pilot.  the three lights must be perfectly lined up as one before it is safe for us to proceed up the channel.  The three harbor lights of guidance are:

1.  The Word of God (objective standard)
2.  The Holy Spirit (subjective witness)
3.  Circumstances (divine providence)

Together they assure us that the directions we've received are from God and will lead us safely along the way that is His perfect will for us."  (Bob Mumford from Take Another Look at Guidance Chapter 7 Three Harbor Lights)

I would add a fourth light...brothers/sisters in the Lord who have your interests at heart and will come along side and pray for and with you and be honest with you.

On our journey in the Lord...we are to KEEP OUR FOCUS...not on what is behind us...but what is straight ahead. 

"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us (see Hebrews 11 for the Clouds/Hall of Faith)..let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is SET BEFORE US...FIXING OUR EYES ON JESUS, the author and finisher of our FAITH...Who for the joy set BEFORE HIM...ENDURED THE CROSS (troubles)...despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
 (Hebrews 12:1-2)

Jesus told to potential followers...who were hesitating due to cares of the world (burying loved ones)..."But Jesus said to him, no one after putting his HAND TO THE PLOW...is fit for the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:62)


Throughout the Word...we are told that we are in the world...but not of it.  It rains on the just and the unjust.  The storms comes against house built on the sand and storms comes against houses built on rock.  As believers in THE LORD JESUS CHRIST...we are NOT immune from TROUBLES...but we do have promises of a PEACE THAT PASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING as we KEEP OUR MINDS STAYED ON HIM (Isaiah 26:3)  We have promises of a PEACE THAT SURPASSES ALL OF OUR COMPREHENSION IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CONFLICT. (Philippians 4:6-7)  We have promises of COMFORT where only THE FATHER OF ALL COMFORT can give us COMFORT (II Corinthians 1:3-7)  We have a HELPER...called alongside to HELP/COMFORT/DEFEND us..in the person of the Holy Spirit.(John 14:16-18) We have a PEACE GIVER (John 14:27)

FINAL THOUGHTS...FINALLY

I don't understand all of what happens to people who love the Lord with all their hearts, souls, minds and strength and love their neighbors as themselves. (Luke 10:27)  What I do know is that we are not immune from TROUBLES...but we can PERSEVERE...TRUST GOD BY FAITH when we just don't understand the WHY'S OF LIFE.  We need each other to hold each other up physically, mentally and spiritually.

Love and Persevering Kisses
Rodney "Walking In The BUT Factor" Boyd