The Cure For A Troubled Heart

HOW DO YOU PREVENT A TROUBLED HEART - “Let not”

Face The Facts: John does not deny the reality of trouble, but he suggest that we should not allow the trouble to trouble us. For the heart to be trouble, there has to be something that is troubling.

The identity of trouble. It can be difficult to triumph over trouble if you misdiagnosis the trouble. Illustration: I have trailer that I used to haul my lawn mower. Every time I get ready to use the trailer, I have to put air in the tire. I carried the tire to a repair shop and the repairman looked at the rim and said, it appears that your rim is warped not allow the tire to seal off properly. He attempted to fix it, gut the next time I went to use the trailer I had to put air in the tire once again. Months later, I went to put air in the tire and notice a nail on the inside edge of the tire. It was in a location that was hide from plane sight. My tire trouble continued for months because of a misdiagnosis.

Some children have been misdiagnosed. Some of the trouble with children is a parenting problem. “Spare the rod and are spoiling the child.”

Some people have been misdiagnosed as busy bodies. The would be busy in your business if you kept it off social media.

Some of you have been misdiagnosed. You’re not crazy, you’re a Christian! They think you’re crazy because you’re smiling in the midst of adversity. You don’t allow troubles to change your attitude. The world thinks we are crazy because we walk by faith and our faith is in God whom we have always trusted.

The intimidation of trouble. Jesus is giving His disciples a pep talk. Recent events have tested their faith. They have been in a storm where the thought of death was on their mind. They had to be chasten for seeking personal promotion. Jesus has just told them He’s going away. And Peter himself has just denied God while warming around the wrong fire. At this point, they are feeling like failures and looked at as faithless. At this point it does not take a lot to intimidate them. There are times when life beats us up to the point were we are ready to quit. Any trial is too much. Every test seems like another opportunity to fail. And we are intimidated by troubles that have not even happened yet. But text says, “don’t be trouble, don’t be intimidate.”

The intensity of trouble. Often our troubles are not as bad as they seem. We have a tendency to magnify our misery. We blow up our burdens to be larger than life. I’m not saying that we don’t face some difficulties. Some situation are bad. This Pandemic is bad. The recent storms have been bad. Politics in America is bad. We have a lot of troubling thing all around us. But our God is greater than them all. God is greater that the storm. God is greater than a pandemic. And God is surely greater than the President. Trouble in God’s hand is minimized not intensified.

Faith Over Facts: It’s possible to have faith over facts but if you leave out some facts, it might struggle with your faith. James Morgan decided that for his 50th birthday that he was going jump out of a perfectly good airplane. He contacted one of the leading skydiving schools in the area and setup the jump. Before they went up in the plane, they spend several hours going over safety protocol and performed training exercise. The came time to board the plane and ascend up to 13,000 feet. Suddenly the plane started to spit and sputter. James Morgan heard the pilot say, “Something is wrong with the engine.” James’ heart stated to race, his muscle tensed up, and hair on the back of his neck stood up; all signs of fear. The instructor look at James and said, “Don’t worry, we are okay.” About that time, the pilot said, “the engine has failed, we have lost power.” James heart was about to exploded and once again the instructor said, “James we are okay.” James said to the instructor, you might want to rethink that. We are on a plane and it’s going down. The engine has lost power. The pilot is sending out distress calls. How do you figure we are going to be okay. The instructor said, you mention several facts, but you left out one. The plane has lost power, the pilot may have to perform a crash landing, but we have parachutes and we going to jump to safety. We never planned to land with the plane when we left the ground. Psalms 121:1-2 says, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.” The Psalmist was not looking to the hill for help. Thieves and robbers often camped out in the hills and mountains. The Psalmist looked beyond the dangers that lurked in the hills unto the one who made the hills who could provide the help.

HOW TO PROTECT A TESTED HEART - “ye believe in God…”

Counteract The Attacks” Jesus concern for the heart is based upon divine knowledge of unbelief. Unbelief attacks the heart influencing it to doubt God. All of us have experienced doubt.

The story goes that for 17 years Billy Bob would cross over a single lane wooden bridge on his way to work on Hwy. 11. Thursday night he was watching a documentary on Bridge’s in America. The program investigated the decaying infrastructure of the U.S. Highway, Interstates, and Bridges. The next day, Billy Bob left 30 minutes early for work. His wife asked him, “Bill, why are you leaving so early for work today?” Billy Bob says, “I have to go a different route to work today.” The wife ask, “Why?” Billy Bob said, “I don’t trust the bridge on Hwy. 11.” This is the same bridge that he has been crossing for 17 years, but now he refuses to cross it. Why? Because he no longer trusted the bridge.

Some of us are just like Billy Bob. God has been on our side protecting us, providing for us, and preserving our life; now all of a sudden, we read about COVID-19 and we are afraid to leave the house. God has taken car of you all these years, don’t stop trusting Him to do it now. God has taken care of us through 44 Presidents; you will survive number 45.

Here is the key to surviving the enemy attacks. Believe in God. That’s how you fight against the attacks of the enemy who wants you to believe that cannot win this fight. You need a counterattack to counteract the attacks of the enemy.

Confidence In The Almighty: Psalm 7:1 says, “O Lord my God, in thee do I put my trust…” Jesus tells us “Let not your heart be troubled: Ye believe in God believe also in me.” This statement speaks of prophecy and deity. My confidence is in his person and his power.

The person we know as Mary’s baby and God Son. The person we know as Emmanuel (God is with us), the Prince of Peace, the wheel in the middle of a wheel, the bright and morning star, the rose of sharon, the Lilly of the valley. You know Him don’t you. He’s the word made flesh, the great I AM, the way, the truth, the life. You know the person the call the Christ, the anointed one, the Lamb of God, the Savior of sinners. If you don’t know Him by no other name, He has been given a name that’s above every name; that at the name of Jesus, every knew will bow and every tongue will confess. I have faith in His person. But I also have faith in HIs power.He has the power to make a lame man walk and a mute man talk.

He has the power to give sight too blind, hearing to the deaf, and life to the dead. He can part the Red Sea, send fired down from heaven, and turn water into a sidewalk. He has the power to cast out demons, rebuke Satan, and save sinners. He has the power to turn a pimp into a preacher, a madam into a missionary, a dead-beat into a deacon, and enemy into an evangelist. He has power. Wonder power! Life changing power. I trust the power of God take care of me!