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GOD'S ANTIDOTE FOR DARK DAYS

GOD'S ANTIDOTE FOR DARK DAYS. Introduction.

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GOD'S ANTIDOTE FOR DARK DAYS

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  1. GOD'S ANTIDOTE FOR DARK DAYS

  2. Introduction • You don’t need a book to tell you about pain and sorrow. You could write you own book. Chances are you wrestled with some pain this morning before breakfast. And sorrow? You’re an expert. Deep, personal pain that you experience in secret. You weep silently—but on you go, day after painful day. I’ve have no way of knowing the depth your pain and sorrows.

  3. Introduction • But I know Someone who does. Someone who stood utterly alone against an intimidating pack of painful moments with names like Loneliness, Sorrow, Weariness, Rejection, deep unceasing pain…Death. • And how appropriate that the One who conquered all of these should be awarded by men with a crown of thorns!

  4. Introduction • Jesus Christ didn’t have to leave a painless heaven for this sinful planet. Nobody forced Him. He just came. And what a impact He had on this world. You see, festering pain and sorrow fall away at the touch from the Master Surgeon. • Pain and sorrow reside in our world, but they don’t rule. He does. Always has. Always will. Through Him…so can you.

  5. Introduction • Pain, Sorrow, Affliction, hardship, and persecution are often the characteristics of the Christian’s walk. This idea is borne out in Peter’s own words, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for testing…” I Peter 4:12

  6. Five anchors of faith that help us ride out the deepest darkest days: • When times are tough, the Lord is our Only security. 2 Sam 22:2-20 • When days are dark, the Lord is our Only light. 2 Sam 22:21-31 • When the dark days weaken us, the Lord is our Only Strength.2 Sam 22:32-49 • When our future is dark and foggy, the Lord is our Only Hope. 2 Sam 22:50-51 • When we are down and out, remember that the Lord knows the way. Job 23:10ff

  7. “refuge” The Hebrew means, “a safe place, a place of protection and secrecy.” 22:3

  8. When times are tough, the Lord is our Only security. 2 Samuel 22:1-7 David sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. 2 He said: "The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; 3my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation.

  9. When times are tough, the Lord is our Only security. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior — from violent men you save me. 4 I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies. 5 "The waves of death swirled about me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. 6 The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of

  10. When times are tough, the Lord is our Only security. death confronted me. 7 In my distress I called to the Lord; I called out to my God. From his temple He heard my voice; my cry came to His ears.

  11. When days are dark, the Lord is our Only light. 2 Samuel 22:29; 31b 29. You are my lamp, O Lord; the Lord turns my darkness into light. 31b.…He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him.

  12. When the dark days weaken us, the Lord is our Only Strength 2 Samuel 22:40 40You armed me with strength for battle; you made my adversaries bow at my feet.

  13. When our future is dark and foggy, the Lord is our Only Hope. 2 Samuel 22:50-51 Therefore I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing praises to your name. 51He gives his king great victories; he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed, to David and his descendants forever.“

  14. When we are down, remember that the Lord knows the way. Job 23:10-11 But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. 11My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside.

  15. Five anchors of faith that help us ride out the deepest darkest days: • When times are tough, the Lord is our Only security. 2 Sam 22:2-20 • When days are dark, the Lord is our Only light. 2 Sam 22:21-31 • When the dark days weaken us, the Lord is our Only Strength.2 Sam 22:32-49 • When our future is dark and foggy, the Lord is our Only Hope. 2 Sam 22:50-51 • When we are down and out, remember that the Lord knows the way. Job 23:10ff

  16. Working Principles • Turn to God in prayer. Tell God all that is in your heart, as one unloads one’s heart, its sorrow and its pain. Tell Him your troubles, that He may comfort you; tell Him your longings, tell Him that you are disillusioned about the church, tell Him because of these dark days that you are doubting your faith. There is significant therapy (healing) in telling God everything. Prayer transfers

  17. Working Principles • Burdens, pressure, pain and sorrow are to be placed on God’s shoulders and off of ours. • Thinking Like Jesus thought-having His same attitude. When He was in the crisis of His life…even to the point of death. What was His attitude? Father forgive them for they know not what they do.

  18. Working Principles • Final thoughts. It all begins in the heart. It was Solomon who wrote, “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of live.” Proverbs 4:23. Risk being deeply honest as you open up and admit to the battleground within. • Putting one’s complete hope and trust in the Living Lord. Trusting God must be done on day at a time. The beginning days of trusting are often the hardest…don’t quit. Trusting

  19. Working Principles 4. Trusting God is a stabilizing experience. In battle against Goliath, David didn’t let the jitters interfere. When you turn a giant over to God through trust, it’s amazing how stable you can be. There is nothing wrong with leaning if it’s leaning on the Lord. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5 At those moments when we are feeling

  20. Working Principles • 4. fragile and frail; when we feel the blizzards of life are winning and we are losing ground. It is then that we need to trust God and His support is strong and sure; He is our refuge from the storm. Isaiah 25:4 “But to the poor, O Lord, you are a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, a shelter from merciless men who are like a driving rain that melts down an earthen wall.

  21. Prayer—Merciful Father Help Me, To comprehend what it means to reconsider it pure joy again in these darkest of days. I am facing the greatest trial of my life and I don’t feel like I will make it. My heart is broken. The pain all encompassing. There does seem to be a way out of this sorrow. Help me LORD. I can’t do it on my own. Lord be close to me NOW. Mend my broken heart. Amen.

  22. Psalm 18:6 In my darkest of days I called upon the Lord, And cried to my God for help; He heard my voice out of His temple, And my cry for help before Him came into His ears.

  23. Psalm 34:17-19 17The righteous cry and the Lord hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles. 18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, And saves those who are crushed in spirit. 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous; But the Lord delivers him out of them all.

  24. Psalm 39:12-13 12 Hear my prayer, O Lord; listen to my cry! Don't sit back, unmindful of my tears. For I am your guest. I am a traveler passing through the earth, as all my fathers were. 13 Spare me, Lord! Let me recover and be filled with happiness again before my death.

  25. Psalm 40:1-2—Promise. I waited patiently for God to help me; then he listened and heard my cry. 2 He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out from the bog and the mire, and set my feet on a hard, firm path, and steadied me as I walked along.

  26. Psalm 61:1-4 O God, listen to me! Hear my prayer! 2 For wherever I am, though far away at the ends of the earth, I will cry to you for help. When my heart is faint and overwhelmed, lead me to the mighty, towering Rock of safety. 3 For you are my refuge, a high tower where my enemies can never reach me. 4 I shall live forever in your tabernacle; oh, to be safe beneath the shelter of your wings!

  27. Psalm 119:147-149 147 I was up before sunrise, crying for help, hoping for a word from you. 148 I stayed awake all night, prayerfully pondering your promise. 149 In your love, listen to me; in your justice, God, keep me alive.

  28. Psalm 142:1-6 I cry out loudly to God, loudly I plead with God for mercy. 2 I spill out all my complaints before him, and spell out my troubles in detail: 3 "As I sink in despair, my spirit ebbing away, you know how I'm feeling, Know the danger I'm in, the traps hidden in my path.

  29. Psalm 142:1-6 4 Look right, look left — there's not a soul who cares what happens! I'm up against it, with no exit — bereft, left alone. 5 I cry out, God, call out: 'You're my last chance, my only hope for life!‘ 6 Oh listen, please listen; I've never been this low. Rescue me…Lord.

  30. God’s Antidote for Dark Days • “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4

  31. God’s Antidote for Dark Days • An Old Saying, “All sunshine and no rain makes a desert.” POINT: Life is a mixture of pain and pleasure, of victory and defeat, of success and failure, of mountain tops and valleys. What is God’s antidote to Dark Days of life?

  32. God’s Antidote for Dark Days How do I handle the dark days of life? 1. Dark Days are inevitable. • Jesus was very realistic about it. In John 16 He says, “In the world you will have trouble.” • James 1:2-4 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

  33. God’s Antidote for Dark Days James 1:5-7 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.

  34. God’s Antidote for Dark Days 2. Dark Days are unpredictable • You can’t plan them, time them, schedule them. Dark days are unexpected and often a surprise. • They usually come at the worst time—when you can’t seem to handle another heart ache.

  35. God’s Antidote for Dark Days Jeremiah 4:20 Disaster follows disaster; the whole land lies in ruins. In an instant my tents are destroyed, my shelter in a moment.

  36. God’s Antidote for Dark Days Dark Days are: • Inevitable • Unpredictable • Impartial

  37. God’s Antidote for Dark Days 3. Dark days are impartial. • No one is immune to these dark days. No one is insulated from pain and sorrow these dark days bring. • No one gets to skate through life problem free.

  38. God’s Antidote for Dark Days Matthew 5:44-45 • 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

  39. God’s Antidote for Dark Days 4. Dark days are temporary. • They have an end to them. They don’t last. They are not a permanent location. • Psalm 23:4 “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

  40. God’s Antidote for Dark Days • Dark daysare temporary. The valley is not something you stay in your entire life. It’s something you go through—a circumstance, a situation that has a season to it.

  41. God’s Antidote for Dark Days • 1 Peter 1:6-7 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith — of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire — may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

  42. God’s Antidote for Dark Days Difficult Days are: • Inevitable • Unpredictable • Impartial • Temporary • Purposeful

  43. God’s Antidote for Dark Days 5. Dark days are purposeful. • God has a reason for taking you through the valleys. • Whether it’s doubt, depression, despair, discouragement, defeat—He’s got a reason behind it. • I Peter 1:6-7

  44. God’s Antidote for Dark Days • 1 Peter 1:6-7 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith — of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire — may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

  45. What can I do when experiencing those Dark Days? 1. Refuseto be discouraged. • Psalm 23 says, “I will fear no evil” 2. Remember that God is with me. • Isaiah 43:2 3. I Rely on God’s protection and guidance. • Psalm 23 says, “Thy rod and staff comforts me.”

  46. Isaiah 43:2 "When you pass through the waters I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you.

  47. God’s Antidote for Dark Days Difficult Days are: • Inevitable • Unpredictable • Impartial • Temporary • Purposeful

  48. Words of Comfort Psalm 34:18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, And saves those who are crushed in spirit.

  49. Words of Comfort Our loving Father is never preoccupied or removed when we are enduring deep dark sadness and affliction. Hebrews 4:16

  50. Words of Comfort Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need.

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