What is Vision? Does it matter how we see things? The
answer is, YES! Many only see the obstacles. I do not believe in “positive
thinking"...but I am convinced God wants to be optimistic about the life He
desires to lead us to.
An optimist is
the sort of man who would go after Moby Dick with a row boat, a harpoon, and a
jar of tartar sauce!
Mark 5:1-20 They went across the lake to the region of the
Gerasenes. When Jesus got out of
the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him. This man
lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain.
For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and
broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and
day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with
stones. When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in
front of him. He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me,
Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won’t torture me!” For
Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you evil spirit!” Then Jesus asked him, “What is your
name?” “My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” And he begged Jesus again and again not
to send them out of the area. A
large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. The demons begged Jesus,
“Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” He gave them permission,
and the evil spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two
thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned. Those
tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the
people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they saw the
man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and
in his right mind; and they were afraid. Those who had seen it told the people
what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. Then
the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region. As Jesus was
getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with
him. Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your family and tell them how
much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” So the man
went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him.
And all the people were amazed.
Here is one of the clearest examples of how Jesus Christ can
cause REAL change in a life! This man was more than useless; he was dangerous
and evil. When we ask ourselves about God’s vision for our lives, there are several
issues we need to look at.
First: What we can control and what we cannot:
You
can't control the length of your life,
but you can control its width and
depth.
You
can't control the contour of your face
but you can control its expression.
You
can't control the weather
but you can control the atmosphere of your mind.
Second: Many
times when there is an opportunity to have a new beginning, we look for it from
the outward perspective, not the inward.
Remember:
Most times God does not deliver us from our circumstances, but from ourselves.
One of the misinterpretations of “change” is that it
equals new circumstances
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has
gone, the new has come!
Notice the individual is changed, not necessarily that person’s
circumstances
There is a great danger to place the same old person into new
circumstances. That is what happened to Simon the sorcerer in Acts:
Acts 8:9-23
Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city
and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, and all the people, both high and low,
gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is the divine power known as
the Great Power.” They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time
with his magic...When
Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he
offered them money and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on
whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” Peter answered: “May your
money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with
money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not
right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he
will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you
are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”
God wants a new person in old circumstances and that will
bring forth new circumstances
How to approach a new beginning:
1. Look for what has happened inwardly.
This requires a willingness to change, no matter how sure you
were. Some people are never willing to change.
Man convinced that he was
dead. Went to the doctor. Doctor couldn't convince him that he
wasn't dead. Doctor asked,
"Do you believe that dead men can bleed?" The man chuckled.
"Of course not, doctor.
Everybody knows that dead men can't bleed." Doctor poked his finger
with needle. As the blood bubbled
out, the man looked at his finger and exclaimed, "Whaddaya know! Dead men do bleed after all."
There must be self-evaluation = What
new thought patterns? What new desires?
2. Do not expect circumstances to change immediately.
Paul had to learn this after his salvation. Not everyone was ready
to believe he had changed.
God told Ananias to go and meet Paul right after he was saved.
Notice his response:
Acts 9:13-14
“Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and
all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. And he has come here with
authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”
Even when Paul finally went to Jerusalem the first time, the
disciples were not sure if they could trust him:
Acts 9:26
When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were
all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple.
Many times when we
change we must give time for others to adapt, It’s a time for proving what has happened.
That is the point of the requirements for elders in Timothy.
3. Inward
change will speak for itself!
This demonized man not only was now normal, but also went back
to his home and shared what Jesus had done for him. The scriptures state that “And all the people
were amazed.”
Remember - People
can deny what you say, but they cannot deny what you are!
Meditation: I would like a new beginning in________________
Question: Are you willing to see that new beginning
from God’s perspective?
Action: List what has happened inwardly, ignore
circumstances and allow your life to convince others!
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