Problems and how to solve them

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 15th, 2007.
This is something new from Arthur
Burke on looking at problems in a new way.  We all face problems even though we wish we never had any.  Even the scripture on the birds of the air and lillies of the field ends up with this thought.  “Matthew 6:34, Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow: for tomorrow will care for itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.  So we will have problems in life, they are unavoidable, it is how we look at them.
     Here are ten ways you can get a different look at your problems or difficulties.  We look at a problem through the eyes of our soul instead of the eyes of our spirit.  Every man has a spirit and when you are born again you recieve a new spirit but your soul is being renewed and still holds  lots of old thoughts and patterns.  Hebrews 4:12 talks about dividing the soul from the spirit and the thoughts and intentions of our heart by the word of God.  When you confront a problem with the human spirit instead of the human soul it makes all the difference in the world.  The soul becomes frustrated, tired out and unable to look at a problem from God’s point of view.  So here is a new look at age old problems.
      Listen with your spirit to the word of God.  Not your soul, but your spirit.  1. Consider it pure joy my brother whenever you face trials and problems of many kinds.2.  Our culture centers around avoiding problems and greatly values happiness, which we define as having others take care of your problems.  (this is why our government has turned into a welfare state and most people look to the government to solve their problems.)  3.  God set Adam and Eve in the garden to take the resources of the garden and their relationship with Him to the rest of the world and to subdue it.  Proverbs 25:2 It is the glory of Gid to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.(or in other words, what God has hidden)  Frustration is one of the most interesting emotions given to man and a good definition is trying to do something with the effort of our soul instead of relying on God to speak to my spirit concerning the matter.
     4.   You were designed by your Father to face problems and solve problems, not just escape them or run away from them.  5.  The problems God has designed for you to solve will bring the greatest treasures in your life.  6.  God blesses us with wisdom and pure joy when you face all different kinds of problems so that you rejoice instead of complaining and turning away.  Look at this scripture in Isaiah 64:4  Neither has the eye seen a God besides thee who acts in behalf of the one who waits for him.  What this says is when you wait for God He will take your place.  You can use His eyes and ears and see the problem for HIs perspective.  You see it did take your place already, He took your place on the cross and carries all your sins and sorrows.  He also wants all your problems and difficulties. 
     7.  God blesses your spirit with faith to look at problems through your fathers eyes and relalize that every problem He brings you is an opportunity to experience His faithfulness.  In the book of Isaiah 42:16  And i will lead the blind by a way they do not know, in paths they do not know I will guide them and I will make darkness into light before them and rugged places into plains.  Now look and listen closely with your spirit and don’t miss this…………These things I will do, and I will not leave them undone.  That is God’s word for you, not one of His Word has ever failed.
   8.  New problems come up so you can reach deep into your Father’s wisdom and find His wisdom to solve the problems that He brings you.  James1:5  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.
9.  James 3:17  “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable,(willing to yield) full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, and without hyprocisy.
10.  This is the real key about how to solve the problem.  Most of us take it to our friends and talk about it.  The more we tell about it the bigger it gets and the more power we give it.  A problem can even become an addiction.  An addiction is really idolatry because you give the problem more time than you give God.  So you are really worshipping a problem rather than God who gave you the problem to begin with.  Ps 142:1  “  I cry aloud with my voice to the Lord, I make supplications with my voice to the Lord.  2  I pour out my complaint before Him , I declare my trouble or problem before Him.. What!  Your whine to God about what is going on?  Yes you pour out your complaint and declare your trouble to God.  Ps 62: 8 says the same thing.. Trust in Him at all times o people, Pour out your heart before him.  (another version says, Tell Him how you feel). and the rest of the psalm says in verse 5  “My sould wait in silence for God only.  For my hope is from Him alone.  6  He only is my rock and my salvation.  Notice the word “only”.  He alone, He only” no one else can solve my problem.  Not my husband, not my wife, not my pastor, not my counselor, not my government, but God.  Is He able?  Can He do it?  He created it all.
     Now lets bring this around to a practicle level on my problem today.  Maybe its the husband God gave me or the Wife that I married or my children that are such messes.  Start hrere.  Tell God how you feel. Pour out your heart before him.  Tell Him your complaints.  You know what happens when you don’t and complain  to other people first. God gets the leftovers.  He wants the first fruits both bad and good.  These two psalms are called the law of first intimacy.  Before  I can become intimate with my spouse I need to become intimate with God.  Try this out.  let me know how it works for you. 

Part 2 of Bitter root judgments

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 13th, 2007.
Hebrews 12:15 “See to it that no one fail to obtain the grace of God-That no bitter root springs up and causes trouble and by it many become defiled.  We talked about all the things husbands and spouses see one another doing and we get locked into judgments.  God is the only one that can judge the heart of a person.  All I see is the outside, I don’t see the heart of a person.
     Now let’s bring this full circle so the wife can share in the blessing of not touching god’s anointed.  What is the truth of this unseen thing that God sees about my husband.  Well the truth is that God doesn’t see us as we are but as what we will be.  I need to believe the word of God over what I see with my eyes.  Christianity is all about faith.  I look not at the things that are seen but the unseen.  Maryliyn Phillips has an interesting story about her marriage.  Her husband was a drunk, a womanizer and a hot tempered angry man.  She was advised to divorce him by all the people in her church.  She had every legal ground to do it based on scripture.  She had an interesting thought..I should as God what He thinks.  A novel thought.  And here is what He said to her.
    “Marliyn, you can divorce him if you want, I will support you which ever way you go.  So Marliyn continued the conversation and told God she really would like to see this marriage work but she wanted to know how God saw her husband.  Now remember what was happening.  He was cheating on her, drank too much, was an angry man and he wanted a divorce.  So God gave her the following words as to how he saw him, his name was Mike.  I see Mike as an overseer, above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or anything else, not pugnacious, but gentle, uncontentious and free from the love of money, and one who manages his own household well, keeper of his children under control with all dignity.
     Marilyn said you must have the wrong guy, that isn’t my husband.  God said, Marilyn, that is they way I see him, you see God does’t see our sins anymore like we do, He sees us through the blood of Jesus, and He said Marilyn, if you start agreeing with the word of God instead of what you see, it will come about.  True Christianity is believing the word over seeing.  Marilyn took God’s advice.  Things got worse.  How many know it always gets worse before it gets better.  That is a sign that you are winning and the devil is losing.  And then she started to believe the word over what she saw.  Today, Mike and Marilyn Phillips have the largest marriage ministry in the world.  I wonder what would have happened if Marilyn Phillips would have settled for divorce.
     By the way if you want a copy of her book and testimony I have some at the office.  Also a video on her testimony.  Look for a class in the near future on this subject.