Christian Survival Kit: Chapter 1 - part 2

The Fires of Adversity

Not long ago, I was reading a book called Terror at Tenerife.
It reminded me of what we're talking about here. This man, Norman Williams, was in the accident on the Canary Islands in which two huge 747s crashed on top of each other on the runway and burned. Only a few people out of 500 or more escaped. The rest were killed. 

It was miraculous how Williams got out. He looked at the people on either side of him, and it was so hot, the flesh just melted off of them. They became skeletons instantly. He said that people who were normally nice — little old ladies sixty or seventy years old — yelled things so vile it was unbelievable. He couldn't describe it. The things that were hidden deep in their hearts came out in a crisis situation and bothered him more than anything else. 

But what came out of his mouth was different — he'd been seeking the Lord. 
He had agreed with his mother before he left on the trip that he'd be safe. The first thing to come out of his mouth was his faith that God would protect him. He had a huge fireball come right at him, but he wasn't burned. Then a landing gear came flying at him. He just caught the thing and threw it off. There was an explosion right above his head, and the plane, then ten feet high at that point, was torn open. He jumped up right through that hole, even though he was fifty years old and overweight. God supernaturally delivered him. 

Norman Williams didn't have time to sit back and ask, "Now let's see, what should I do in this situation?"

First Things Last

Your first reaction is going to determine the outcome in a crisis situation. Seldom do we have the luxury of sitting back and looking at things. The attitude you have when Satan comes against you is going to determine the final result. ** If you can get a hold of this truth, it will revolutionize your life. 

I've been teaching this everywhere I go, and I've seen more results out of it than anything I've ever taught. It's based on simple truths from the Word, but if you get established in them, they'll keep you from being offended, and the Word of God will produce in your life. 

In John 14:1, Jesus says, "Let not your heart be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in me." 

Now this is so simple that you can miss it. It's very profound, however. The first thing you have to do when Satan comes against you is to make the decision that you are not going to let your heart be troubled. 

If you were to diagram this sentence, the understood subject is "you." You let not your heart be troubled. God gave you the choice. God gave you power over your heart. 

Again, this is so simple we often miss it. The vast majority of people I deal with who are attacked by Satan don't really understand this. A lot of them believe that in a given situation, there is no way that they can help but to be depressed and discouraged. They justify emotions that are contrary to God's Word. But this is a command as much as any other command in the Word — as much as "thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not steal, and thou shalt not kill." It is a direct command from the Lord! 

So the very first thing you have to do is say, "I am not going to let my heart be troubled." 

- AWMI.net