17 Oct Code Red (Learning to look at what you’re going TO instead of what you’re going through) PART 4

Many years ago when we were located in Knoxville, Tennessee and well before we started Joy
Church, we used to have campus days blocked off where potential students from all around
could come and visit World Changers Bible Institute. They would come for classes and then we
would have a special lunch for them. On one of these campus days my father-in-law was
visiting. He had just gotten over a bad cold and still had lots of congestion and a deep cough.
As he was casually eating lunch with the students, a deep cough came over him. As he inhaled,
he accidentally sucked a potato chip down his wind pipe. He was not even coughing and could
not breathe! He was choking to death. His wife cried out “Does anyone know how to do a
Heimlich maneuver?” No one responded and everyone seemed in a panic. I know God wanted
me to intervene. All I can tell you is everything began to slow down to me. I was fully
conscious of my own inability to help (I had never been trained to do the Heimlich maneuver in
my life) and yet fully confident in God’s ability to assist!

I went behind my father-in-law and attempted the maneuver on him…nothing! Then all of a
sudden I knew exactly what to do. As I did my second attempt at the maneuver I added these
words, “In the name of Jesus…come out!” Instantly the chip came flying out of his mouth and
he got his breath back!
The storms of life come to every house (see Matt. 7:24-26). The question is, when that “Code
Red” comes, will you be ready?

Let’s look at our key scripture one more time It is Psalms 112:7-8: “He shall not be afraid of
evil tidings: His heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord. His heart is established, he shall not be
afraid, until he see his desire on his enemies.”

Now let’s review from last month as we discussed…

“7 Outstanding Outlines to Overcoming Crisis”:
1. How you respond in a crisis is key (Mark 5:36)
We shared “3 Key Crisis Concepts”:
1) Crisis doesn’t create your character….it reveals it
2) Whatever is in you in abundance will come out in crisis (Matt. 12:33-35)
3) Your initial response will do your miracle or your mess (Mark 5:36)

2. What God did for another He can do for you (Acts 10:4)
We shared “Two Testimony Truths”:
1) If the devil can convince you your problem is special…it will be especially hard to
overcome!

2) Testimonies bring inspiration. The Word of God brings faith.

This month let’s continue…

3. Rehearsing past victories is proof you are unstoppable (I Sam. 17:34-37)
Here the Bible tells us, “And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep,
and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: And I went out
after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against
me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. Thy servant slew both the
lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he
has defied the armies of the living God. David said moreover, the Lord that delivered
me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of
the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the Lord be with thee.”

You can see that before David ever took on Goliath he rehearsed his past victories over
the lion and the bear!

Join us next week as we continue our series…