The ART of Survival - An Attitude to Embrace, Part 2

Is the oxygen of the soul all around you is falling and you feel the pressure squeezing the life out of hope is the oxygen that sustains you somewhere you get home. How when you make it through these challenging times. That's today stay with thanks for joining us for this Edition of Living on the Edge survival picture for this international discipleship ministry focused on helping Christians live like Christian, let me ask you a question. Have you ever been inspired by our friend or loved one situation in the way they rose above their circumstances continue to honor God to give perspective on your difficult so what's their secret will in just a minute. She will pick up where he left off last time in a series. The art of survival. As you continue sharing some key insights that will forever change your approach to adversity before we get started if you're new to Living on the Edge. List any part of the series, you can always catch up with Chip Ingram have a Bible turnout James chapter 1 part two of Chip's message and attitude to embrace. It's a trite illustration but for for some of you that are no love to do athletics, you probably at some point in your time lifting weights right you know you get some Weitzen into some curls, we get some big Weitzen you do it this way and if you meet someone who is very strong and very muscular.

What most people don't understand is when you lift weights. The reason you need to do it every other day. Not every day is that as you lift weights. What happens is your muscles actually begin to tear tiny fibers are Terry and then you don't lift every day because they need time to heal and so what happens is you have to take them beyond their point of what they can do.

That's why you'll see weightlifters help each other. Do those last few reps because they want to just have micro tears in the what happens when they grow back they grow that bigger and stronger and you know your soul, your character, your ministry, your future, your relationships, you know how they grow you how you become patient and kind and generous and loving and forgiving you have need of endurance. Why knowing the testing of your faith, could I remind you the test because you are a follower of Jesus is for you to come through it that God will give you what you need to come through it.

The testing of your faith will produce this endurance. This ability to hold up, and I know the moment you think about tomorrow.

How will I do it.

You don't because here's what I know that this is today.

If you start thinking about out there tomorrow. There's no grace. But God will give you grace for today you choose baby choices, I won't give up.

Today I'll do what I can today. I may not have quite enough to today. I don't see how make it tomorrow but as you do that one day at a time. What happens is you strengthen and God will provide both within and without I remember most challenging time I was leading an organization and it wasn't a worldwide pandemic but was one in the United States where there was a total collapse of money in the.com market.

I just took over the leadership of an organization and we have people all around the world and the budget was millions and millions of dollars like a faucet. It turned off and I was the new leader and we didn't have the millions of dollars, and I wonder what in the world will be overdue and I remember being in Psalm 34 and I would read it out loud over and over and over and I would not just cry out to God that I would just cry because I thought Lord, what will we do. These people are depending on me in our organization.

In all these countries and we don't have the money.

It is very interesting as I look back, it was devastating and yet the year 234 innovation happened. Those groups learn how to do the ministry without the same amount of funds they innovated in new ways, and we went from about 19, 200 countries and makes for five years. It's during times like this that God changes things were crises there difficult or painful. I don't mean to minimize but for those who endure those who paid the price. God will do something in you and I will guarantee he'll do something great through you. Question number one is what can I control the answer is my attitude, question number two is how do I get through today.

The answer is I will endure. I will endure because I will claim God's promises. It was David who said it is good for me that I was afflicted, that I may learn by statute. If your word was not my delight. I would've perished in my affliction.

What you find. All through Scripture is the men and the women of God in the midst of difficulty, pain, devastation, and what's unfair they cling to the promises of God. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. But my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. If God be for us, who can be against us. Jesus said I will build my church in your part of it and the gates of hell cannot prevail against it. This is a time when you grab the invisible promises of God and you hold them dear and you choose to obey, and trust. When you have no idea how it's going to work out and that is the story of how God has built his church throughout the centuries. The third, what question you need to ask is what hope do I have for tomorrow someone has wisely said that hope is the oxygen of the soul. Once you lose hope you know you're done so where do you get help. Here's the answer. God will take the worst you're experiencing today and use it for your best.

God's going to take the very worst.

The very most difficult. The most desperate. The most painful things in your life today, and here's the promise and all powerful, good, kind and sovereign God in the midst of a very fall in an evil world is going to take what ever you are going through and he's going to use it for good in the first thing he's going to change is not your circumstance. I think we've lived in a world where some teaching about the gospel some prosperity ideas that if you love God. If you are obedient if you do what God wants you to do that. Everything's going to go your way and many people weren't disillusioned and very discouraged because when they do what God wants them to do. Like many of you, and yet you find a relative has died that you can't open your business that you don't have any money that there's not enough food that you can even contact the people in your church that life is not going better and can you say God why I love you this last portion explains he says let endurance or perseverance have its perfect result that you may be complete and mature. Lacking in nothing. In other words, what God is saying in this passage is that as you attitude choose to consider it all joy and as you choose to endure just moment by moment, day by day. He says cooperate with God, let this endurance.

Let God have his way cooperate with what he's doing in your heart and your life that you can be perfect in the war doesn't mean you can be seamlessly perfect.

The word is telling us in English we get our word telescope. It's the idea of something that fulfills its design. God has a design for you and his design is more than to make you happy. His design is not that everything works out and and and wonderful in your circumstance. His design is to make you make me like Jesus to conform you to the image of his son was what's that promise. We quote the most challenging times for we know that God works all things together for the good to them that love God, to those that are called according to his purpose and we usually stop there. That's Romans 828 verse 29 says, whom he called, he also predestined that he's going to conform us to the image of his son.

And so what he's saying is in this process. Allow God to mature you to have his way, and noticed the promise that you will be complete, lacking in nothing. In a sometimes in my weakness most difficult moments when I Lord. Where are you and I to ask why Florida I took a big step of faith or I maybe I I I moved right. I gave a lot of money away your you know, like you, you do something you say I'm I'm stretching Lord to do what you want me to do with all my heart and and this is when I get. I remember in my basement when my world fell apart and I had all these people around the world. I felt like I needed to take care of and I didn't have anything to help them with and I remember crying just literally weeping, and a member of the Lord saying so when is your responsibility to make the world work out chip. I just want you to trust and obey me. I have a plan and in my plans don't always work out in this life the way that some of you will think and as I was literally crying. I remember thinking will all the apostles. They obeyed God they loved him with all their heart, they birthed the church. What happened to them I thought they were obedient and every one of the apostles except the apostle John was martyred. They were killed and John was stuck on a rock so he could write the book of Revelation, and that I remember the last half of the book of Hebrews to talk about those that trusted God in the world was not even worthy of them because of their faith and their dedication and their commitment and their loyalty to Christ and it says they never saw the promise they never got to see like the big wonderful answer can I remind you that we do not live for a temporal world and circumstances of today are anchor our hope, our promise is heaven. Jesus said to his disciples, knowing what they would go through. He said I'm going to prepare a place for you and if it were true. I wouldn't of said but here's the heart I want you to be with me where I am and is painful and as devastating his death is we need to get our New Testament highs precious in the sight of God says. Psalm 116 is the death of his godly ones.

This life is not all that there is I would remind you historically that in the first three centuries of the early church.

They were persecuted they were viewed as atheist because they didn't worship the emperor in the midst of all these gods, they were the ones that there were three major plagues in the first three centuries. I mean pandemics that would wipe out hundreds of thousands of people.

The took down-home metropolitan areas, and the only people that stayed in the cities were Christians nursing people back to health and those who were too sick to leave the city and Rodney Stark, a sociologist in his book the rise of Christianity, looks at the lens of the growth of the church, not through maybe a spiritual view of the Holy Spirit and what God did through his word, but just from a pragmatic sociological view. He says by 313 A.D. when Constantine became the Emperor he said of the 60 million people in the Roman Empire. It's estimated that 33 million followers of Christ and never followers of Christ because of the early church's commitment through these pandemics to love people to literally give their life when you would serve someone who died in one of these pandemics.

You are a marker you were among the most esteemed in the church. God wants us to know that there is an attitude that were to have an attitude that we need to have is we choose to consider it all joy that we are going.

When we ask ourselves in a what can I control my attitude. What I do to make it through today endure, how to have a hope for tomorrow. I can know for certain that in all wise God all-powerful God, the God who brings about the best possible ends by the best possible means. For the most possible people.

The longest possible time. That's the wisdom of God is on your side, and in this present life. It may not work out the way we choose. But if we are faithful if we trust, regardless of what happens, God will take that and at the end of this passage. Verse 12 he said blessed are those who endure suffering and there is a great reward. There's a great reward in what happens in our life. Now what happens in this and through us and there is great reward that God has promised for all of us. We need to keep our eyes on the prize fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of the thing who blazed the trail so that we can come before the father.

The throne of grace divine mercy in our time as I wrap things up of just give you some perspective and these are things that you can pass on and are there things that will help you begin to think and ponder and respond to this passage, but there's five observations I have about diversity, difficulty paying and challenges like were facing number one God uses adversity to make us mature because were forced to depend on God at a new level left ourselves.

We tend to be self-sufficient, proud and insensitive to the Lord in this time we will depend second, we are weaned from the temporal the urgent and the worldly affairs of life and were forced to re-examine our values, our priorities are commitments in our future units in times like this were God says why are you really living what really matters. What are you giving your life to and it's a time that can only happen when things are this difficult. Third is trials allow us to witness firsthand the reality and the power of God, our need becomes the vehicle God's grace and our problems become the object of his power. You will see the supernatural power of God like never before as you trust him. He is Jehovah gyri.

He is the great provider. He is the great protector lien in trust refused to have self-pity the spirit of the living God raised Christ from the dead dwells in you, he is your hope and as you do, you will see his power working in you and through you and for they serve as an awesome testimony of the unbelieving world. How we endure hardship shows the world how real God is.

I spent an afternoon yesterday for about an hour and 1/2 with a man going through cancer with his wife.

With every treatment under the whatever they tried.

Problem problem problem problem problem problem and he is been steadfast and he was very, very concerned about his wife dies. Will that be a bad testimony, he said, I believe I'm trusting and I said to him, your testimony is not whether your wife lives or dies. Everyone's going to die sometime. I said the way that you and your wife are going through this both for us as believers in your unbelieving friends is a testimony of an unexplainable power. Your attitude is amazing your love for your wife is amazing. Her attitude is spectacular and you been through things that I could never ever imagine God's going to use your life and the lives of others as they see how you endure and respond and you don't just respond with. I'm somehow to make it through you choose and the power of God to be the Paul and Silas, you don't feel like it, but you start singing hymns in the prison is a God, you are a great God, you are the Lord who the maker of heaven and earth. You are my God you are my hope is you seeing in worship and thank God in the midst of things, he will see his power in the world will see his power in you and through you. And finally, we become sensitive and caring, compassionate, Christlike people, those who have been hurt deeply love deeply. Those of you who will go through the most devastating and painful things in the season, it won't last forever.

You will become a tender, kinder and more compassionate, more Christlike person as a result of this if you choose to ask what don't ask why the Lord Jesus fill you with his grace and his power board. Thank you that you promise to give us all that this moment on this day, may your spirit fill us with hope and encouragement by the power of your word or spirit application for this message and attitude to embrace from is seriously part of survival you know many of the pressing problems were facing today. Injustice, social unrest, religious persecution, moral decay are not new infected been around for centuries. So how are we as followers of Christ to respond for that answer.

Trip turns to the book of James chapter 1 throughout the series. He explains that the uncertainties and fears that discouraged first century believers are similar to the hardships were facing right now by using the word art is an acronym chip highlights three critical truths for how we can endure challenging time. A stands for an attitude that strengthens hours for a resource God offers NT's for a theology that guides this is such a relevant series. So if you missed any part of it, or will learn more about our resources get plugged in with our ministry through the chipping remap woodchip before you come back and assure your application for today's message I wanted to ask you if you could provide us with some much needed encouragement feels like everyone is struggling with some level of anxiety right now, financial stress, health concern, also loved one. People are losing hope, but could you give us some perspective. Maybe some advice on how we can handle these difficult times while Dave and John 1633, Jesus told his disciples in the world are you ready for this, you will have tribulation trials would come, but then he said don't fear because I've overcome the world.

You were called to be over comers. The gospel compels us to endure. It promises that we are victors and were not victims but here's the million dollar question how the Bible has an answer in James chapter 1 in that you uncover what God said to the apostle James to the early church when their entire world was falling apart and so I want to challenge you to meet with me in the new daily discipleship woodchip is called the art of survival.

So here's how it works.

Each day I'm going to meet with you one-on-one for 10 days or we can discover what James chapter 1 teaches about the art of survival and life's trials will start her time together where I will literally get a couple coffee open my Bible and I'll talk directly with you one-on-one and will walk through how to study the Bible, you'll learn to study the Scriptures for yourself in a way where you hear God's voice and have God speak in such a way that gives you the strength to make it through life's hardest and most difficult times. So here's the challenge spend 10 days 10 minutes a day with me 10 minutes on your own and then let me encourage you invite 10 people to join you, let's be difference makers. Let's learn the art of survival in the age of chaos.

You know those early disciples turn the world upside down and that's God's plan for you and me.

Won't you join me fixture will were so excited to share with you our new daily discipleship with chip. The art of survival based in James chapter 1 through this free video series will discover how to handle circumstances out of our control guard or attitude against discouragement and trust God in his provision. If you're ready to learn the art of surviving in these challenging times, then register today to take the daily discipleship challenge and when you sign up will send you a new leather bound prayer journal is our gift to you to take this free 10 day daily discipleship challenge go to LivingontheEdge.org or call us at AAA 333-6003 that's AAA 333-6003 or go to LivingontheEdge.org app listeners tap discipleship as we wrap up today's program.

I want to do a quick review of the five observations I have about trials circumstances difficulties because what I can tell you is, there are many brothers and sisters right now. People that you know people that you love that are disillusioned with God they're frustrated or even angry guide. You may be one of those people because we have been falsely led to believe that somehow, if you love Jesus. And if you're living a life that you think is pleasing to him that he has promise that everything's going to go your way.

That is going to be easy that there's blessing and prosperity, and the fact the matter is that's not what the Bible teaches these five observations are right from Scripture number one adversity is our opportunity to mature. It's in the pain and the trials of life that we become more and more like Jesus. Number two, we are weaned off of temporal values for kingdom values. It is not until you have the pillars of our money of our prestige of you know maybe where we live or what we have for the security of our retirement, our job, our reputation, when those things begin to get pulled out from under us. It's a time where God can really speak like never before about the values that are invisible that are even more important. Let's remember, he always allows these things and kindness. He's not mad at you, he's not down on you.

Third, trials allow us to see God work as we rely on him.

I do not understand it and I would never sign up for it, but I will tell you this, whether it's in the Bible, church history or my personal life. It's been in the most desperate times I've seen God's greatest power. I've seen miracles I mean bona fide grade A+ miraculous miracles that have happened because of extraordinary extraordinary need in my personal life as well as around the world. Number four tough times are a chance to demonstrate faith to an unbelieving world unit.

Contrary to what we think sometimes is like if our lives are. We got it all together unbelievers to get a look at us and go.

Oh, if I wanted altogether him to be like this Christians the fact of the matter is there watching how we go through difficulty there watching how we love and how we care and how we persevere and how we don't focus on ourselves and then finally we become more like Jesus, which is the big agendas and it you know, the apostle Paul would even pray that he might experience the fellowship of his suffering, he would say to that little church in Philippi. It is been granted to you not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake experiencing the same conflict which you see in me, and now here to be in me.

In other words, what he was saying is, in this journey of suffering. There is an intimacy with Jesus. There's a transformation that occurs.

So let me encourage you don't just get through it.

Don't try to get out of it. Let's lean in and really let God work in us, and then through us. We need to stop asking why we need to start asking what is that God wants us to learn and what good can we do, let's make a difference together. That's an encouraging word ship clinics in case you missed some of the points Jeff just reviewed their pulled straight from his message notes, which is a tool available for every program. So let me encourage you to get this resource before you listen to us again. Chips notes include his outline all of the Scripture references and lots of feelings to help you remember what you're learning will really help you get the most out of every program, chips, message notes are quick download of LivingontheEdge.org under the broadcast tab app listeners just Fill in notes on behalf of Chip and the entire team. This is Dave Drewry saying thanks for listening.

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