“Rising Above the Circumstances”
FOCUS(the core of the content to be communicated)
If anyone tries to convince you that getting right with God includes freedom from all of life’s hardships & heartaches along with perfect
mental, emotional & physical health all the while experiencing prosperity which includes living in a really big house with at least a two & a
half car attached garage, run as fast & far away from them as you can :-) … seriously, the health, wealth & prosperity gospel is no gospel at all.
Today’s message is an invitation to not let what may be for now become something you allow to keep you from choosing to acknowledge,
turn to & trust God. Prayer should accompany that. Singing is a very good choice as well.
Remember that even if we’re literally or figuratively locked up on the outside for whatever reason, our circumstances can’t get inside us
unless we give them consent.
In Acts 16, Paul & Silas show us that …
1. no matter the situation, staying focused on God makes all the difference.
Instead of silent despair, they chose out loud singing & prayer.-Acts 16:25a
2. our positive response to hardship becomes its own witness to others.
Imagine what the other prisoners must have been thinking when “at once all
the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.” -Acts 16:25b-26
Making It Real
1] What’s been your experience with this? How can you cultivate a greater gaze*?
2] How does this motivate you to be a thermostat, not a thermometer?
- (“to look steadily, intently, and with fixed attention”)
Action Step
Invest some time thinking about how captivating it must have been to be one of the prisoners hearing Paul & Silas
praying & singing. Ask God for the grace you need to pray & sing when a situation in life really stinks as you
keep remembering He said He would never leave or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5 from Deuteronomy 31:6).
Notes
Cornerstone Community Church 5344 Fishcreek Rd Stow OH 44224 <>< ><> Pastor Dan Page May 14, 2023 www.ccc-stow.faithlifesites.