You can't do that! Are you kidding me, YOU think you can do THAT? There's NO WAY you can ever be successful. You are such a loser. Why even try, you know you'll fail. Have you ever heard such things? I'm sure all of us have heard these type comments some time in our lives. People who are nay-sayers and negative influences in our lives seem to be all around. People tell us to not even try because we will fail. And, the problem is, we often take their adive.
The Bible has much to say about situations that many would describe as impossible. The reality is, in fact, some of the situations described ARE impossible from our perpective. Think of a young Jewish girl who was visited by an angel to tell her that she would become the mother of the Messiah. She knew it was impossible since she had never had a sexual relationship with any man. But, the angel said, "Don't worry, God is bigger than that and you will be miraculously made a mom." And she was. Another totally impossible situation from a human perpective were the walls of the city of Jericho. They were tall and well guarded. The rag-tag group of Jewish nomads were no match for this well protected city. But, as we know, the walls fell flat at God's command.
Today, I want to remind you that whatever God brings into our lives, or allows in our lives, is to be faced knowing that He is able to do the impossible. In fact, God is the God of the impossible. No problem is too big. No obstacle is too large. Nothing that stands in our way is unmovable. Yes, we can be victors in all things.
In a testimony meeting many have stood to quote Philippians 4:13. They do so with clarity and ease. The words roll off their tongues with great assurance. Yet, that week, while facing unbelievable odds, they seem to forget the very verse they quoted. They forget that the Bible is not just a theoretical book full of wonderful sounding platitudes. Rather, it is a book full of everyday truths to be llived out in our lives.
Anytime I think of the three Hebrew children in Daniel 3 I remind myself of one of the reasons they could withstand the threat of the furnance. Being led up the side of the hill, bound and ready for the flames, they encouraged each otehr by Isaiah 43:2. Not only did they theoretically trust God, they put their faith into action and actually claimed that verse in a literal way. They faced the impossible situation of a life or death moment in full confidence in God and His Word. They took King David to heart when he said that we are to hide God's Word in our hearts.
Young David faced the giant Goliath and fought this champion against all other's advice. His brother said he was crazy to go, his king told him he was crazy to go, and Goliath, his enemy, said he was crazy to go. But go David did. And, it was the giant who fell and lost his life, not little David. Against all odds and against all advice David faced down the enemy and won.
Is there something you've been called by God to do but have shrunk back because others said you couldn't do it? Why not take God at His Word and attempt the impossible. YES, you can do it in God's strength.
How foolish are we? We are surrounded by foolsish things and foolish choices. Some of these "foolish" things are harmless. We enjoy laughter and fun while we do some "foolish" things. Butl other foolish choices are harmful. They will bring dire consequences we didn't expect.
This week our mission's team and I are in soutehrn Thailand for LIFE Camp. LIFE camp is a yearly gathering of Thai churches to present the gospel through teaching English. For 22 years the gospel has been shared, English has been taught, and relationships have been formed. Eternal dividends are being made by the lost being saved.
This week the Lord led me to talk about foolishness and its consequences. We've looked at things like how foolish it is to not plan for eternity. or to accept a lie as the truth, or to put off until tomorrow to make a decision for the Lord. In each case a terrible consequence will be experienced in eternity. Foolishness will always lead to harmful results. Or, do they?
One foolishness that leads to good results is preaching. The Apaostle Paul said that the "foolishness of the message preached" will bring people to faith. He said that many will see the message of sin, salvation and a Saviour as utter nonsense. They, like Festus, will call us crazy. But, who, really, is the crazy one?
If I tell a person they have a counterfiet $20 bill, and they try to spend it anyway, who is the fool? It's not me for telling them. Rather, it is the one who didn't listen to good advice. If they are arrested for spending the counterfiet they have only themselves to blame.
Please pray for the Lord to bring these at LIFE camp to the truth and to faith. We are praying many will flee the foolshiness of sin to the foolishness of the message of Jesus Christ.
Have you ever traveled to a different country where English isn’t spoken? Can you remember how frustrating it was to not be able to even say hello? You couldn’t order McDonalds or Starbucks without pointing! Then, when you found a person who spoke some English it was hard to communicate because of their limited vocabulary of English and your lack of any vocabulary if their language. What a hassle. Well, you can blame the folks at Babel!
When God created mankind we all spoke the same language; of course it was English! Whatever language it was, everyone on the planet spoke the same language. No language barrier existed between anyone. Then, the fateful decision by the populace to build a large tower “to the heavens.” In making this decision, God decided to confuse the languages so people would have a hard time joining forces. Can you imagine waking up one day and not being able to understand others? This would have caused great fear and suspicion. Because of this, people of the same language groups huddled together and went their own way. From then until now we have had difficulty understanding different languages.
Because English has become the trade language around the world many people want to learn to speak it. They desire to be trained in English so they can get better jobs and have a better life. So, many ministries around the world have offered English classes as a way to get the gospel into the hearts of people who might otherwise be closed to the Word of God. Each year for over 20 years some of the churches in Thailand join forces for a concentrated outreach using English learning. Again this year a team from our church are traveling to Thailand to conduct English camps. While you’re reading this our team is in Northern Thailand doing this very thing.
October 17-20 will be a large gathering for LIFE Camp. LIFE Camp stands for Learning, Intensive, Free, English. For three days folks gather to teach English, learn English, share the gospel, hear the gospel, and reach out. I know our team would appreciate your prayers on our behalf. Without YOU praying, our efforts will not be as effective. Pray for clarity as we teach English and for the translator to be clear as he makes Pastor’s messages understandable to the campers.
Acts 8:30 records a question Philipp asked a man on his way home who was reading the Book of Isaiah. He asked this question, “Do you understand what you are reading?” The man could understand words on a page, but he couldn’t understand the meaning of what he was reading. It took Philipp getting into his chariot and explaining the Word of God to him so the Holy Spirit could open his heart to the Gospel. Our prayer is that as we teach the Holy Spirit will open hearts to the true meaning of the Word. Please be praying for this on our behalf.
Language is powerful tool. But, we must be able to use it properly if we are to be understood. May each of us pray for God to powerfully bring His Word into the ears and hearts of people around the world.
Whatever language it was, everyone on the planet spoke the same language. No language barrier existed between anyone. Then, the fateful decision by the populace to build a large tower “to the heavens.” In making this decision, God decided to confuse the languages so people would have a hard time joining forces. Can you imagine waking up one day and not being able to understand others? This would have caused great fear and suspicion. Because of this, people of the same language groups huddled together and went their own way. From then until now we have had difficulty understanding different languages.