pushingyourlimits

04/13/2023 CCC Sulaiman 1

PUSHING YOU TO YOUR LIMITS


• Deuteronomy 8:1-10(MSG)• 8 1-5 Keep and live out the entire

commandment that I’m commanding you today so that you’ll live and prosper and enter and own the land that GOD promised to your ancestors. Remember every road that GOD led you on for those forty years in the wilderness, pushing you to your limits



• , testing you so that he would know what you were made of, whether you would keep his commandments or not. He put you through hard times. He made you go hungry. Then he fed you with manna, something neither you nor your parents knew anything about, so you would learn that men and women don’t live by bread only; we live by every word that comes from GOD’s mouth.



• Do you want to listen to a story?• A group of children were playing near two

railway tracks, one still in use while the other disused. Only one child played on the disused track, the rest on the operational track.The train came, and you were just beside the track interchange.



• You could make the train change its course to the disused track and saved most of the kids

However, that would also mean the lone child playing by the disused track would be sacrificed. Or would you rather let the train go its way?


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• Most people might choose to divert the course of the train, and sacrifice only one child. To save most of the children at the expense of only one child was rational decision most people would make, morally and emotionally.

• But, have you ever thought that the child choosing to play on the disused track had in fact made the right decision to play at a safe place?

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• Nevertheless, he had to be sacrificed because of his ignorant friends who chose to play where the danger was.

• To make the proper decision is not try to change the course of the train because the kids playing on the operational track should have known very well that track was still in use, and that they should have run away if they heard the train's sirens.


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• If the train was diverted to the track, we could put the lives of all passengers on board at stake! And in your attempt to save a few kids by sacrificing one child, you might end up sacrificing hundreds of people to save these few kids

• It is not the situation that should challenge a persons ability/character. It should be the character that challenges the situation.

CCC Sulaiman



• GOD BULIDS CHARACTER BY ALLOWING CHALLENGES

• David: a man after Gods own heart……

1)He was pursued by King Saul

2) He barely escaped several assassination attempts

3) He had to spend much time hiding in the wilderness



4) He suffered the shame of having committed adultery and murder

5) His son Amnon raped his daughter Tamar

8) His other son Absalom murdered Amnon



9) Absalom led a revolt against his father

10)Absalom himself was killed, much to David's grief



HOW DID HE SURVIVE ALL THESE?

HE BUILT CHATACTER.

TO MENTION

1. He remembered faithfulness of God

2. He invested on people


• 1Sa 30:1 And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire;

• 2 And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.

• .



• 3 So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives

• 4 Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.

• .



• 5 And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess (God will sow), and Abigail( Father/source of Joy) the wife of Nabal the Carmelite

• 6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.



• Why Distressed? All around David were not real warriors and of nobles but 1 Samuel 22:2

• And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him.


http://www.biblestudytools.com/nkjv/1-samuel/22-2.html


• Reasons for DISTRESS:• Physical Exhaustion They walked 60 miles to

see their home burned .• Personality make up: They were

melencholics• Spiritual reasons: Hidden sins• How will I know the reason

• Emotions we experience


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• Upon a situation which pushes you to your limit, if you experience

• Anger/ Blame others/ Violence/ - the reasons is you, your action and decision are the REASONS for the situation. You know inwardly and yet not willing to take responsibility. So your emotions are high and doesn’t want to introspect so blame others. Eg Adam blamed Eve

CCC Sulaiman



• If you feel pain and feel helpless. Still you can go through the situation with a mild temper/ peace obviously its not your cause Eg: David accepted the sin when Nathan confronted and was sad for the child's death but not angry



• Thlipsis: Jesus said "....in this world you will have tribulation(thlipsis). But be of good cheer I have overcome the world".

• We don't get to choose whether or not we will going through things in this journey called life.

• Not the external situation but the internal choices



• Meditate Joshua 1:8 “to read, mark, and inwardly digest it,”

• Jos 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

Strategies to overcome…….


• Remember Gods Faithfulnes: The Hebrew word for remember "zakar" means "to call back to mind, to rehearse, to relive in the mind".

• Story: Wise mother

Strategies


• Investment: On others. • A way to overcome stress:

• Elijah I king 19: 13-18• Towards the end of story we will find that

these men who chose to stone David, were converted to be the mighty warriors and their names were recorded in bible.

• Can anyone call you as their mentors……


pushingyourlimits

Spiritual

ccc sulaiman

disused track

operational track

track interchange

challenges david

hundreds of people

jezreelitess god

faithfulness of god