31 Oct Code Red (Learning to look at what you’re going TO instead of what you’re going through) PART 6

Let’s review our key scripture for this series…

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.”

Over the past few weeks we began sharing “3 Unstoppable Understandings”:
1) Consider your history of winning as a prediction of tomorrow’s victory!
“Well Pastor Jim, that’s just it…I don’t have a history of winning.” However, that is
where you are wrong! Think about it, you were the sperm that out swam all your
“brothers and sisters” to mom’s egg! You are kind of like Michael Phelps!
2) Yesterday’s lion is a prediction of today’s Goliath! The bigger they are the harder
they fall!
3) Thanksgiving is the only thing that looks backward and forward at the same
time…backward to past victories and forward to future triumph!
4) Your feelings are created by your focus (Rom. 8:6)
We have a precious young lady here at Joy church who has attended WCBI. She
recently wrote me a letter that about a year ago she was suicidal. Someone gave
her my book on “Enduring Life or Enjoying Life.” Per her admission, this book and
the Biblical truths within it, saved her life! In her letter she discussed she did not
have to be a slave to her feelings and she could literally and biblically choose joy!

Today she is a thriving and joyful part of Joy Church!

With this in mind, please allow
me to share with you “12 Focus Facets”:

1. What gets your attention gets you!
A number of years ago, a young man came to me and told me he and his
girlfriend had broken up. This relationship was unfruitful and pulling both of
them away from God. It had been months since they broke up and he told me
he could not “get over her.” He couldn’t shake his feelings for her. I simply
asked him some very important questions: “Do you still have her letters?” He
did, and read them often. “Do you still have her pictures?” He did, and had
them all over his apartment. I simply told him it is time to throw away those
letters and to get rid of all of her pictures! What gets your attention gets you!

2. Just because it gets your attention doesn’t mean it deserves your attention.
I remember over a decade ago, that there was a man at Joy Church who would
write me about once a week. Normally these letters contained within them
some sort of critique…at times about small grammatical errors I made in my
sermon from the previous Sunday. Many times, I would write back and as
lovingly as I could respond to him.
One night I was responding to his most recent critique and I was trying to be very
careful in my response. I realized it had taken me 45 minutes to respond to “my
friend.” All of a sudden it hit me…when was the last time I wrote a love letter to
my wife that took 45 minutes to write! I crunched up my letter to the critic and
called my staff and told them I didn’t want any more letters from him. I then
wrote my beautiful wife a love letter!
Just because it gets your attention…doesn’t mean it deserves your attention!

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?

Join us next week as we continue our series…