SAME CONDITIONS, DIFFERENT RESULTS
~
Pastor George Pearsons
A.
Psalm 37:25-26—We Always Prosper Through Tough Times
1.
NIV-84: “I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous for
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saken or their children begging bread. They are always generous and lend freely;
their children will be blessed.”
2.
Survival Reality Shows
a.
Leave someone in a desolate remote location.
b.
Supplies are limited.
c.
Their diet consists of tree roots and bugs.
d.
Conditions are barely tolerable and sleep is rare.
e.
They are living in “survival mode.”
3.
Many Christians are living this same way.
a.
“I would be happy if I could just tread water and maintain.”
b.
“Times are tough and we just need to hunker down and weather the storm.”
4.
In tough economic times, we don’t just survive—we thrive.
5.
In tough economic times, we refuse to fail—we fourish.
that you will prosper at all times!”
“Make up your mind
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B.
Jeremiah 17:5-6—This Man Was Barely Surviving
1.
This example took place during an economic downturn.
2.
They were in the midst of a serious drought.
a.
Exact same conditions
b.
Entirely diferent results
3.
The man was cursed because he did not trust God and he leaned on his own abil
-
ity to meet his needs.
4.
He became like the heath in the desert—a stunted shrub.
5.
He was barely surviving—no fruit, no hope, no future.
C.
Jeremiah 17:7-8, 10—This Man Was Gloriously Thriving
1.
This man was blessed because he stood on the Word and believed God for a full
supply, in spite of the conditions.
2.
He was like a deep-rooted tree, planted by the river.
3.
He didn’t even notice the adverse conditions—they didn’t afect him.
4.
In spite of the “year of drought,” he never stopped producing fruit—he was suc
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cessfully thriving.
5.
Verse 8 (MSG): “They’re like trees replanted in Eden, putting down roots near the
rivers—never a worry through the hottest of summers, never dropping a leaf, se
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rene and calm through droughts, bearing fresh fruit every season.”
6.
Verse 10—The Lord knows your heart. Even if you’re saying the right things on the
outside, He sees whether you’re trusting in Him or in man.
7.
In a test and trial, it’s vital what you do. What you do comes from what you think—
you must renew your mind.
“Something may be coming in the economy. Whatever it may be, if a person is operating in
kingdom principles, it will be just like they’re in the ark at the time of the food of Noah. The
worse the conditions get, the higher Noah rose. The worse things get, the higher kingdom
people will rise in prominence in the earth.”
—Bill Winston
Kingdom Principles: Operating Above the System of the World
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