We all Have Issues

Intro

My text today is coming from Genesis 16:7-9

The title of my message today is “Turn Around”

PRAY

Have you ever found yourself wandering around, wondering where to go, trying to figure out how you ended up where you are? Alone, depressed, in the wilderness, struggling, riddled with problems. In a place you don’t deserve, your life out of control. I know you have, we all have. We can all relate to Hagar.

PERSONAL STORY:

I struggled to know what God wanted to speak about.

In my heart I have a burden to encourage and celebrate with For His Kingdom and my bother and sister and best of friends Pastor Topsy and Sister Nichole.I want to celebrate in every thing that God is doing through you.

God what do I say? When I have highs and lows. Your mind and this word is always reminded you of the problems that are at hand. what do I say.

My prayer was God what do you want me to say when I have so many issues?

God said talk about that.

What ?

What that we all have issue. really ?

So that lead me title the message WE ALL Have Issues?

This leads me to my first point:

1. WE ALL HAVE ISSUES.

Abram:

struggled with insecurity, lied about his wife a couple of times with disastrous results, and can be very passive at times .

Sarai:

impatient, deceitful , abusive, and had dealt with grief over being barren for over 90 of her life.

Now that brings me to Hagar.

-Hagar’s problem is that she was sold as a servant due to a lie (Genesis 12:16 says…)

-Hagar was given as a mistress, as an abuse to the obedience she showed

-People of power and influence abused her and used her and she was put in a difficult situation through no fault of her own.

-Hagar is pregnant and despised

-Hagar felt her only option was to runaway

- Don’t get me wrong, Hagar had a part to play in her misfortunes as well

She chose to treat Sarai with contempt, to rub her nose in a pregnancy, to be spiteful and proud

-We also have a part to play in some of our problems too. Our sins and disobediences, our stubbornness can get us into a whole lot of trouble

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2. GOD IS PRESENT

-God who is full of promises (scripture ref)

full of provision (scripture ref)

and full of power (scripture ref)

gives her his presence AND her purpose in the middle of a desert.

-He actively looked and located ...(verse 7 says “An angel of the Lord Found Hagar...”)

The definition of find is to discover someone or something after a deliberate search

-The Lord encouraged, gave vision, and restored her.

Hagar lost her vision, God showed her her destiny.

Without vision we have no hope. Without hope we distance our selves from God until we are moving backwards

God renewed her with hope with a single encounter.

-When we acknowledge his presence in the midst of our problems, our battles, our wars, our trials, our troubles; regardless of how we got there......

-The revelation comes when you see that God sees you. We need to know that God sees us. We need the reminder that God is intimately concerned for us and in control.

Pastor I believe that God wants you to know that =He =Sees= You. Just keep listening to the rhythm of his heart beat and that will help you see what you need to see.

The first chapter of the Gospel of John speaks of “the Word.” The Word was with God, and the Word was God— Jesus, who took on flesh and dwelled among humanity. The Word of God is expressed in its highest and truest sense when it refers to Jesus. And in Genesis 15, we see the Bible’s first mention of “the word” is actually the pre-incarnate Jesus (i.e., before He became human) appearing through divine revelation. Yep, Jesus came to Abram personally to deliver a message of encouragement and strength.

How does this relate to you and me? Jesus still shows up for us! He showed up throughout the Old Testament; He became flesh and blood to walk and live on the earth in the New Testament; and today, He speaks encouragement into our lives and reveals Himself as our protector and abundant provision.

You may be experiencing a season that is stirring up fear and challenging your faith. You may need an infusion of encouragement or a reminder. Jesus desires to show up and reveal Himself to you maybe even in ways you’ve never seen Him before. As you reflect on Abram’s journey, know that your challenges don’t disqualify you from fulfilling God’s promises for your life—often in the midst of trial is exactly when Jesus shows up.

3. WE PLAY OUR PART

What I want you to see here is that THE GOD of promise, of purpose, of provision, of power, and of presence actively and deliberately created an encounter with one of his children who was sold, devalued, misused, and moving in the wrong direction in order to restore her and create nations. But she still had to do her part....SHE HAD TO TURN AROU