Changes Part 3
Acts 16:16-34
Change is not easy but treating it as the enemy does
not help. Change is a natural state of being. By focusing on what we can
control, we are free to praise God; if not for our circumstances, then in spite
of them.
I.
Adverse Circumstances Can Happen Even When You Are Doing Exactly
What God Wants You To Do
·
Adverse circumstances do not
change you; they simply amplify who you truly are.
II. You Cannot Control Your Circumstances, Just How
You Respond to Them
·
You always have a choice
of how you are going to respond to what the world offers you.
·
Praise changed their perspective,
but God changed their circumstances.
·
These men understood that suffering
– physically, mentally, and emotionally – is absolutely necessary to
Christian maturity.
III. A Change in Circumstances Did Not Change the Mission
— Preaching the Gospel.
·
Their response to adverse
circumstances was consistent with their message.
·
How we handle
circumstances changes the perspective of others.
·
When we praise God in the
midst of difficulty, it causes others to see and experience His goodness.
