Weathering the Storms of Life

We finish our series today. I hope it has been helpful. This final installment is written to help prepare you for tomorrow. We are going to look at three external forces that threaten to destroy your home:

• RAINS that erode your roof.
• FLOODS that threaten your foundation.
• WINDS that shake your structure.

Many of us are UNPREPARED for the inevitable storms of life. Consequently, making the right choices today will help prepare us for tomorrow and the storms that are sure to come.

Where is you home is built?—better yet, on WHOM is it built?

Matthew 7:24-25 (NIV) “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.”

THREE EXTERNAL FORCES THAT THREATEN YOUR HOME:

1. "RAINS" – Preparing for the culture we are living in.

Does our society work for or against the family? Against it. The pressures you face are more severe today than they were even a decade ago—society is not going to get better it will continue to get worse.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NIV) “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.”

Attitudes that can erode your marriage:
• Humanism "It’s my way or the highway"
• Materialism "I want more money and more stuff"
• Hedonism "If it feels good do it”

Romans 12:2 (NIV) “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.”

2. "FLOODS" – Preparing for the crises we are going to live through.

Psalm 69:1-3 (LB) “Save me, O my God. The floods have risen. Deeper and deeper I sink in the mire; the waters rise around me. I have wept until I am exhausted; my throat is dry and hoarse; my eyes are swollen with weeping, waiting for my God to act.”

Isaiah 43:1-2b (NLT) “...the one who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown...”

When you're in over your head, when the floods come, do THREE things:

*Relax in God's Plan. He says, "Don't be afraid." Don't get uptight. Don't worry. God has a plan for your life. God's plan for your life is always greater than the problems you're going through. God's purpose for your life is always more significant and more powerful than the problems you're facing. Yes, you're having problems. Yes, it's a crisis but floods always recede and you need to hang on.

*Recognize God's Presence. When you go through deep waters and great troubles, He says, "I will be with you." You're never alone when you're going through a crisis. You may think you are alone but you're not. God is with you. You need to tune into that, recognize it. Open up your eyes and see, "God is here with me, I'm not in this alone." Recognize God's presence when the flood comes along.

*Rely on God's Protection. "When you go through the rivers of difficulty, you will not drown." That's a promise. You can count on it. You’re going to get wet but you're not going to drown. God is with you. And He STILL has a plan for your life.

3. "WINDS" – Preparing for the changes we are going to live with.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NLT) “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.”

Proverbs 20:30 (GNT) “Sometimes it takes a painful experience to make us change our ways.”

Philippians 4:11-13 (NIV) “...I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”

Storms are inevitable and some storms seem to last forever...but HOLD ON. You will see the sun and the SON again!