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2 Corinthians 12:9-10 - And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. NASU
2 Corinthians 12:7- there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me — to keep me from exalting myself! The apostle Paul said that his thorn in the flesh or adversity was given to him so he would not exalt himself. No one knows exactly what his thorn in the flesh was but we do know this, it was given to him to serve a purpose. It was given to him so that he would not exalt himself. The Greek word for "exalt" means "to raise oneself over". The purpose of his adversity was to keep him humble or from exalting himself over others. Paul thought he would be better off without this adversity, but God saw it differently. Many times in our own lives we believe we are better off without adversity, but God permits us to have it anyways.
2 Corinthians 12:8 - Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. NASU It is not wrong to pray that your adversity be removed from your life, but don't lose your faith if God continues to allow the adversity to stay in your life.
When we are going through difficult times and we think that we can not go another step that is when we need to quote verse 9 to ourselves - And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Paul is having a change of mind. Instead of wanting his adversity to depart, he now sees it as a way to let the power of Christ dwell in him. He will be content with this weakness that he has prayed three times to be removed. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 -...I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses…
Think On These: Adversity is the only diet that will reduce a fat head. He who swells in prosperity will most likely shrink in adversity. All men need a faith that will not shrink when washed in the waters of adversity. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Share this Pump Up with others by Sharing on Your Facebook Page or Forwarding to a friend.
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Nehemiah - 2:5 - I said to the king, “If it please the king, and if your servant has found favor before you, send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.”
The type of vision I am speaking about cannot be checked by visiting an Ophthalmologist’s office. This is the vision that relates to one’s goals being accomplished. A person’s vision is generally very clear at the start of their journey. However, while on your quest there will be many obstacles arise to cloud your vision. Nehemiah’s vision was very clear. It was to rebuild the walls in Jerusalem and re-hang the gates. How does a person develop a vision?
1st - His plan is to get to Jerusalem (Neh. 2:5-9). 2nd - He surveys the city and contrives a plan to rebuild the walls (Neh. 2:11-16). 3rd - He recruits other people in his plan (Neh. 2:17-18). LIFE LESSON:When you are working to achieve your goal or see your vision come to fruition, you need to know obstacles will appear. Neh. 2:19 - But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard it, they mocked us and despised us and said, “What is this thing you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” Nehemiah was trying to achieve the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem to once again bring honor and glory to the city chosen by God. Yet, there were people who didn’t like what he was trying to fulfill. When you cast a vision beware. There will be people who will become obstacles on your path. Why do obstacles come when you are trying to succeed in a worthwhile cause? I tell myself they come to test my resolve. They want to see how much it will take to get me to quit. There must not be an ounce of quit in us. This is where we can grow closer to God by asking for Him to help strengthen our mental fortitude.
1. How much money could someone offer you to get you to abandon your goal? 2. How much criticism from family, friends or enemies before you would give up on your vision? Obstacles will come once you take that first step to accomplishing your vision. Let the obstacles be fuel for your fire, don't let them extinguish your desire to complete the task. Nehemiah overcame the obstacles and rebuilt the wall and hung the gates in 52 days. The walls had been in ruins for years and years, because no one had the vision. Once Nehemiah got the vision nothing stopped him. He accomplished what no one else had tried. I challenge you to be a Nehemiah today. Get a vision and overcome all obstacles on your way to achieving it. Think on This: A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Share this Pump Up with others by Sharing on Your Facebook Page or Forwarding to a friend. Ps 42:11 - Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God. NASU Ps 37:7 - "Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;…" NIV
His adversaries are asking, "Where is your God? If your God really wanted you to worship Him He would have made a way for you to return." So what they are saying is his God has abandoned him. Have you ever felt like God has abandoned you? If you answered this question with a "yes" then you know what an emotional roller coaster is like.
These rides are guaranteed to make you scream. One difference between the roller coasters at Cedar Point and life is the ones at the park end quickly while the ones in real life last much longer.
One day you are happily married and the next day one is deceased or one wants a divorce. One day you are sitting around the dinner table laughing and talking about the events of the day and the next day you are at a hospital as one family member fights for life. We probably have all had to sit on a roller coaster of life at one time or another.
You get to choose if you want to ride the ones at the park or not. In life the roller coast chooses you and sometimes there is no getting off of it.
One of my favorite passages of scriptures is Romans 8:31-32 - If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? NASU God has given us His Son Jesus Christ and there is nothing more important or valuable to Him than Jesus. Since He gave us Jesus then He will freely give us all things, Paul says. The second key is not an easy one. We are to "be still" and "to wait" for the Lord. Now I don't know about you but being still and waiting are not two of my strong points. The Psalmist is saying while we are being still we are waiting patiently for the Lord. When you find yourself on one of life's emotional roller coasters try not to lose your Hope in God and continue to be still and wait patiently for Him. Think On These: When we let God guide He will provide. The Lord calls for us to stand, though not always understand. God makes a promise- faith believes it, hope anticipates it, and patience quietly awaits it. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Share this Pump Up with others by Sharing on Your Facebook Page or Forwarding to a friend. Prov. 1:5 - A wise man will hear and increase in learning,
And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel, Prov. 12:15 - The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But a wise man is he who listens to counsel. Prov. 29:9, 11 - When a wise man has a controversy with a foolish man, The foolish man either rages or laughs, and there is no rest… A fool always loses his temper, But a wise man holds it back.
Solomon says a friend like that may say things that hurt us but those "hurts" are called "faithful wounds" and they are better than kisses from an enemy. Prov. 27:6 says, - "Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy." In other words, we will have a friend who will inform us of the truth that is being said. We will have a real friend and not a "yes man" as they are known. "Yes men and women" will tell us want we want to hear and not necessarily what we need to hear.
A wise man will seek out wise counsel; and this is what needs to be said about us when we are not around? Do people say we are wise because we hear, listen and increase in knowledge?
Do we seek out wise counsel and obey it? Or are we more like the foolish man? Always losing our tempers, never listening to others, and of course we are always right about everything in our own eyes. Think On These: To profit from good advice requires more wisdom than to give it. The courage to speak must be matched by the wisdom to listen. You can buy an education but wisdom is a gift from God. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word 1 John 2:14 - "I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one." NASU
Wisconsin Coach Barry Davis says, "Preparation is the most important thing a champion does. A champion prepares for his opponent, he knows the moves his opponent is good at, and sees himself mentally countering those moves and executing his own moves to win that match." Campbell Coach Cary Kolat says, "The biggest trait of the best wrestlers is that they find a way. Wrestling is man (vs.) man which attracts men who are independent but most of all determined. If the door is locked the wrestler will climb through the window. He will not stop until he achieves or fails. Oregon State Coach Troy Steiner says, "A Champion is someone who is willing TO GO ALL IN EVERYDAY in all area of their lives. By going all in, I mean that you are giving your very best effort in what you are doing in that moment. This doesn't mean you will win every moment, but if you are persistent in giving your best each and everyday in every moment, You will prevail!" Wrestlers will have a plan to win and they will execute that plan because they want to be winners. The big question here is "What is your plan to win against the devil and his temptations?"
Read the Word of God Daily - that is my plan. Col. 3:16 says, "Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you,..." NASU Last week's Pump Up was about how the Bible doesn’t contradict itself. You will never know that for sure if you don't read it. A HOF wrestling coach named Mike Hampe preached this one lesson over and over again to his athletes -TOM - Time On Mat. "You will never get any better if you don't spend TOM - Time On the Mat.", he would say. I was thinking about what Coach Hampe had said one day and it dawned on me. You will not improve spiritually if you won't spend TIB - Time In Bible. A preacher friend of mine had a saying, "No Bible, NO Breakfast." Start your day off right by reading God's Word. If you will read 3 chapters a day starting in the New Testament with the book of Matthew you will be finished in 87 days. I can guarantee you the successful wrestlers have spent more than 87 days in training.
Do you want to out wrestle the devil? Then know the Word of God and let it reside in you. When the devil was tempting Jesus we all know what Jesus did. He quoted scripture to the devil and in so doing, He gave us a plan on how to defeat the evil one. We must KNOW the Word of God. I remember this old saying, "Reading the Bible will keep you from sin or sin will keep you from reading the Bible." Think On These: The Bible is most helpful when it is opened and read. A Bible that is falling apart often belongs to one who isn't. If you couldn't get another Bible, what would yours be worth? Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Share this Pump Up with others by Sharing on Your Facebook Page or Forwarding to a friend. |
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