Readiness for the Rough Times

Welcome to the end.

Monday, July 18 being surprised by counsel believers should prepare for it before it arrives to be ready for the rough times would you turn please. The first Peter chapter 1 we are in the first epistle of Peter and we are in the first chapter and disease. Beginning with the 13th verse about going to the 60 verse that is readiness for rough times. That's what Peter is giving us here. Five steps to getting ready for rough times and he says beginning in verse 13.

Therefore gird jurors minds for action. Keep sober in spirit picture hold completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the formal lust which were yours and your ignorance but like the holy one who called you the holy yourselves also in all your behavior because it is written, you shall be holy, for I am holy.

I think about this for a moment when you and I know that we're going through difficult.

We saw a seat coming on our we enter into it. We just inside the door. Sometimes if we know what's happening. We know how to respond if we don't know what's happening.

Oftentimes we respond incorrectly but I think if you notice what he says in this passage.

Here is a good way to set your mind when you suddenly find yourself in a difficult situation in rough sledding in your life and things aren't going your way.

Whatever the reason for the difficulty may be he says there are five things that you and I can do to ready ourselves for these rough times and I want you to jot them down.

The first one he says in verse 13.

Therefore gird your minds for action or remove all hindrances to your daily walk. Now what is he mean by guarding your mind, he's saying that you and I need to prepare out thinking that is we need to think correctly when we are undergoing persecution are difficult times, and when we are find ourselves surrounded in circumstances and situations that are beyond our control pieces.

Roll up your sleeves, take off your coat get ready to go on the action because the spiritual walk is just that, that is, he says therefore gird your minds.

That is, prepare your minds don't allow anger, hostility, jealousy, fear we already doubt and anxiety to plague you because whenever you and I are facing situations that are beyond our control and we allow those negative attitudes to begin to move in your life. Sometimes they can paralyze us and stymie us, and they do impede and hinder our walk.

One of the reasons when you not face difficult situations. We don't respond right is because we walk into them all.

We are thrown into them and our attitude isn't right to begin with.

When you begin with a negative attitude when you began unwilling to assume responsibility for your actions. When you began Bob with a critical spirit in the first place.

Are you began with with fear what is going to happen is you going to respond in the wrong fashion. Therefore, the suffering of any situation intensifies when I moved into it with a negative attitude. If I have God's perspective on that it will not be quite as intense so he says if you want to go through these rough times. The best way to prepare is to prepare your thinking. Prepare your attitude so that you will not be hindered in your walk through this and say that you gonna it's going to be removed, but he says prepare yourself action that is you going to have to go through some difficult times. A second thing he says is he says keep sober in your spirit. Now you could translate better interpret that when he says, keeping sober is refraining from being intoxicated.

But it also means something else that is to resolve to keep your balance in your judgment.

First of all, he said remove all hindrances from your walk. Secondly, resolve to keep your balance. Now anytime. Difficulty comes our way. We want a quick fix God fix it. Right now we want someone to give us an immediate solution so if somebody comes along and offers those one usually if we are hurting all we are fearful. All we are anxious will full of doubt usually will reach out to what appears to be a quick fix for the problem and what Peter is saying to those believers as he says, beware of that lease sober, be steady and what he's saying is be balance in your judgment. Don't allow your difficulty to throw you off balance so that you will grab any new idea in a new offered experience in a new fad anything that comes your way. That's why Peter said that.

Be careful when times get difficult. You will be prone and tempted to reach out to anything and everything that offers you a quick fix. He says be steady as you go be very balanced in your judgment.

Don't grab anything that offers you what appears to be a quick solution to your problem. The third thing he says is fix your hold completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ our the third thing he says about terminology is recognize that your hope is in the grace of God only pieces were to fix their hope upon him you not to fix your hope on the pastor. Any preacher you not to fix your hope on it theology you to fix your hope on the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is your hope, that is your hold is to be found on the living Christ who lives and abides in you not think about this for a moment when you and I are undergoing problems and heartaches and burdens. That is, if we see in this trial we are learning in this trial, God's developing us in this trial, God is equipping us in this trial, God is preparing us for something later own it is amazing how when we have fixed our hold upon the Lord Jesus Christ, and upon his promise, and upon his divine guidance in his leadership is like somehow were able to make our way through the maze of all that is going on because we know we going somewhere and listen when you and I face those situations that absolute beyond our control and it looks like we just up against a blank wall and nothing is happening. It's all happening to us and we not getting anywhere that is very difficult. That's why Peter said listen, he says in these tough times.

In these rough times. He said fix your hope upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Nobody say that because he knew as they fix their hope upon him based they fix them mind upon him, he would reveal to them that all of this isn't just an accident.

This isn't something that's just happening that God the father is allowing this in your life for a very specific purpose. Listen to McAfee. My friend many principles. God allows me to lay out to you. Week after week after week after week, and some of you write them down. Some of you don't. Some of the me remember some of them. Then all of a sudden paying the bottom drops out of your life if you know the principal you will respond correctly and the principle here is that we are to fix our hope upon the leadership and the guidance and the love and the acceptance and the protection of the watch care of the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is all a part of the grace of God we have fix our hope upon him, knowing that in this very difficult trying time, our Lord Jesus Christ, like the good shepherd is leading us through this because he has us going somewhere he is preparing us for something anytime he realized that he is in preparation for something in the future.

It is very very helpful elevating and comforting and assuring an uplifting and deepening to know that you're on your way somewhere you own your way to developing those characteristics that qualify you to be a sign of God as a newborn child of God.

You are a saint, but is in the in the development of these character qualities. Our true sainthood is being expressed and is much more evident when people seals go through these difficulties and come out knowing that the Lord Jesus Christ is lettuce through them so he says here number three.

Sure hope upon these things resolve to keep your balance and then recognize that your hope is in the grace, the Lord Jesus Christ alone. Number four. Listen to what he says.

As obedient children, do not be conformed to the formal lost which were yours in your ignorance all therefore he says, resist your formal lifestyle and I want you listen to me very carefully. I have seen over and over and over again very fine Christian men and women who love the Lord, I believe, and I do believe that they loved disaster hits them difficult times come. Financial problems began to flood in upon them. Relationships a little difficult and what happens in those rough times when they can't quite seem to put it all together. How many times the Satan move-in in their moments of weakness in their moments of doubt in their moments of questioning why God is allowing this and what do they do in those moments of weakness. They revert back to what they absolutely no is not of God.

Their old way of living, they revert back to sin. They get themselves involved in all kinds of habits and all kinds of affairs and what happens is in difficult times when God could mold and build their character and equipment prepare them for something far more valuable in the Christian life.

What I do by responding unwisely instead of resisting the temptation listen because physically and emotionally. We need to stay physically and spiritually.

Well because Satan knows that when you are spiritually, physically, emotionally weak. He knows that he has a little inroad in those times that he does not have another times, he says, resist, do not be conformed to your formal lost which were yours in your ignorance now let's look at the old life for just a moment the all life was indeed a life of ignorance before you say you didn't know the truth all you know a few things. But you know the consequences of sin, you have perception you didn't have discernment. It is a life of ignorance. It is a life dominated by desire.

Listen to what he says. He says as obedient children now don't be conformed to your former lost which were yours in your ignorance you see a life in the flesh is a life dominated by desire. The desire for things that is ivory experiences. The desire for satisfaction. The desire for the gratification flesh.

All of that is the old lifestyle. So what happens to some very good Christian people. When difficult, rough times come. They don't want to drink again on drugs or even they may. But in those difficult times. They find something that ratifies the flash in all you know they use it for they use it as an escape to take some of the blunt over the hurt they have. This is what causes people to get into all kinds of difficult situations and sinful relationship that those who use the drink who stopped. It wouldn't dare take a drink difficult times come along.

They don't know how to handle it. Ill equipped to do so and when they do they go back to do what they absolutely no is not of God. Reverting back to their old formal lifestyle which is a lifestyle dominated by ignorance and dominated by desire what he said he hears this he says when rough time comes. Resist the temptation to resort to the old listen to resort to your old lifestyle as an escape mechanism to get rid of some of the pressure that's on you at the moment and I see this happening to people in the most this Astros fashion.

They know better and yet they do it. This is what he saying he says it is a life dominated by desire is a life of ignorance and if you notice he says it is also a life characterized by futility. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the formal laws which were yours in ignorance. What was the life before you resave it was futile. You weren't going anywhere.

You aren't getting anywhere. Nothing was happening.

You were just existing. He says be careful when rough times come you don't go back to your formal lifestyle because this he says that was a life of ignorance dominated by desire. Therefore, you are in bondage. And besides that it was characterized by futility. You weren't going anywhere. If you will fix your hope on the person of Jesus Christ. I mean if all hell breaks loose in the bottom drops out of the top caves in. Remember when you have your mind fixed upon him. God is leading you to somewhere you are accomplishing something God is achieving its goal.

God is accomplishing his purpose of shaping you in the likeness of his only begotten son so then he says the fifth thing that we are to be aware of here. He says beginning in verse 15, but like the holy one who called you, be holy yourselves also in all behavior because it is written, you shall be holy, for I am holy. Now what was he doing he was going back to Leviticus chapter 11 go back there for just a moment you will the 44th verse God says, for I am the Lord your God consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am holy and you shall not make yourselves unclean with any of the swarming things is form on the earth and he's referring to some of their laws here, but several times he says in Leviticus about four times there. He says the same thing be holy as I am holy be holy as I'm holy. Back to first Peter chapter 1 he says, but like the holy one who calls you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior so that the thing I think he's saying is that realize that holiness is the only acceptable goal for the believer now when you resave the grace of God, the Lord Jesus Christ came into your life.

In his presence within you. The Bible says that you not of the temple of the Holy Spirit of God.

Therefore, you and I are holy, hot gas is the Greek word which means holy separated sanctification. All those words are the translations of the same Greek word hard yes that is you and I are holy because you not have been separate on the God we have been sanctified unto him every single believer savor the grace of God. Every single believer has been set apart by God through the Holy Spirit for listen for the purposes of God. So the truth is that you and I don't have any say so in this we have a will and we can rebel against God. But when you say he saved you to be conformed to his likeness and listen the holiness that is referring to here is not a holiness that you not put all now the emphasis of Scripture when it comes to be holy as this, we are to walk obediently before God not putting off putting off putting off. But God says that holiness is the result of our submission to the Holy Spirit to express the holy life of Jesus Christ who is within us, through us, that is the expression of holiness. So when he said here in this passage, but like the holy one who called you, be holy yourselves in all your behavior. How are we to walk a holy life in our behavior. That doesn't mean that I will avoid some things doesn't mean that I will not do some things but I must understand the source of my holiness is not doing and undoing the source of my holiness is the submission of my will to the indwelling Holy Spirit that he may flow out of me and I love you. The holy life of Christ, which is a life of submission. Therefore, some things I will not doing some things I will do so. He says if you want to be prepared for rough times is what you do.

First of all you remove those known hindrances in your life that will hinder you that it will. Secondly he says you are to resolve to keep a balance judgment in those times because of the many fads and many offers of many experiences that come your way is as you recognize that your hope is in the person of Jesus Christ, so that you are moving toward something when you go through these difficult times. The resistor formal lifestyle when you tempted to go back to relieve the pressure and then to realize that holiness is the only acceptable goal for the believer. He says when you do that and you set your mind, you and I will be able to walk through those difficult times with confidence and assurance that God is in control. We own away somewhere and God is accomplishing something in us and he will take you through the rough times triumphantly because remember, he's living on the inside and his promise to be every thing you need. Thank you for listening to readiness for the rest times to know more about Charles Stanley or in touch ministries, and TextEdit Martin had casted the presentation of intense ministry in Atlanta, Georgia