When the Power of our Problem vs. the Power of God’s Promise
When standing for marriage restoration, times when we have to choose are inevitable…and the choices are ALWAYS the same; even though they vary from one situation and circumstance to the other, because our choice ALWAYS comes down to the same thing; whether we believe God or not; whether we trust the Lord or not; whether we take God at His Word or not; whether we choose to focus on the problem or the promise; and whether to obey or not. And it’s ALWAYS one or the other because there is no middle of the road with God. Things are either right or wrong, bring blessings or curses, lead to victory or defeat, and either further God’s kingdom or Satan’s. So one of the most disheartening experiences in ministry is when someone who appears to be very good at talking the talk ends up not being able to walk the walk. And the reason is ALWAYS the same; they lost sight of the promise because they wouldn’t stop looking at the problem, and contrary to every profession otherwise, when it came right down to it, they obviously believed that the power of the problem was greater than the power of God’s promise. And when I read Lorraine’s Coffee Break devotional today, I was reminded of a previous Seeds Of Faith post I wrote about that, The Problem or the Promise, because we really can’t focus on both or expect to have both; it’s one or the other, which Lorraine’s message illustrated so well. So I went back to read that post again and also found Walking the Talk and We Stand in FAITH—NOT in Doubt and Disbelief!, and want to share them along with Lorraine’s message to help anyone who might not yet understand how important it is to make the RIGHT choice when the inevitable comes and the power of our problems challenge the faith we have in the power of God’s promise. And as He is always faithful to do, God used Lorraine’s message to confirm a conversation I had with a FAM member last night about having to choose between the promise or the problem and how we can’t have both; that we either give way to fear or faith because it’s always one or the other; that they cancel each other out! So I hope and pray that when the time inevitably comes to choose between our problems and the power and promise of God’s Word and His unfailing faithfulness, we will always choose to give our problems to God and be blessed and encouraged because we KNOW that NO wisdom, NO insight and NO plan can EVER succeed against the Lord (Proverbs 21:30!
“Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.” Micah 7:7
Do you know why we get discouraged? Do you know why we get fearful? Do you know why we start murmuring and complaining? Do you know why we get discontent? It’s
because of where we are looking! When the Israelites looked at the giants that were in the land, they got fearful. When Peter looked at the winds and waves, he began to sink. When Lot’s wife looked at the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, she became a pillar of stone. When the Israelite army looked at the size of Goliath, their hearts sank in fear.
When we look at what we don’t have instead of what we do have, we become ungrateful and begin to complain. The Israelites looked at the meat they didn’t have and complained
against God instead of looking at the manna that He was sending them each day. When we look at our problem instead of looking to the “hills from whence cometh our help”,
we become fearful and faithless. When we look at the situation instead of looking to God, doubt and discouragement will come in. When we look at the mountain, we lose faith and give up.
When you read some of the writings of David in the Psalms, you’ll read words of complaint and petition. He’ll say such things as- my enemies pursue me, they are stronger than I am, they are out to get me, my soul is cast down, I am in distress, my strength is gone, etc. But don’t stop there he always goes on to say- but the Lord is my
helper, I will put my trust and faith in the Lord, the Lord will show me the way to take, He shall destroy my enemies, He is on my side. This is what I like most about David- one minute he may be acknowledging his problem, but the next minute he is acknowledging the power and provision of His God. You can tell when he turns from the problem to faith in God- there seems to be a ‘dividing line’. Do you know what the difference was? He stopped looking in one direction and started looking in another. He stopped looking at his problem and started looking at God (his problem solver, the One who was greater than his problem, the One who was able to handle his problem).
Where are you looking this morning- at the storm, at the giants, at the mountain, at the impossibility of the situation? Are you looking at the great I Am, the Healer, the Deliverer, the Redeemer, the Supplier? Where you look will determine if you are defeated or have victory. Where you look will either make you grateful or ungrateful, fearful or full of faith, discouraged or encouraged, depressed or at peace. It all
boils down to what you are looking at- God or the problem.
Have a great day. What are you looking at?
Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell, and available online and sent by email free of charge for the asking from About the Master’s Business Ministry, Inc.
So please feel free to call Lorraine at (601) 833-5278 or E-mail her at mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net
And you can visit her on the web at MastersBusiness.org.
We greatly appreciate and thank Lorraine for her permission to share and reprint her Coffee Break devotionals here to bless and encourage our visitors!