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When is enough…enough? What do we do when we can’t go any further?

Yesterday, I saw a post on Facebook about me.  That is always weird.  Seeing someone else post something about you.

A lifelong friend posted a very kind message on my mom’s Facebook page:

Kathy, lifting up your children in prayer now….I saw where Sis Phillips called them her “Heroes”… and that they are….Lord, Jesus, enough is enough? Don’t mean to question, but just don’t understand….please hold these kids close, healing, safety, protection, In Your Precious Name, JESUS!

IMG_0718What is she talking about?  A lot has gone on in the last 8 days.  I will give you some bullet points. 🙂

  • 8 days ago it rained so much that we had to cancel our Sunday morning church service.  The bridge near our church flooded.
  • Tuesday and Wednesday, I drove to Houston for a ministry board meeting.
  • Thursday, Kennady (our daughter) had an 8 hour back surgery. She had her entire spine fused.
  • Saturday, our town suffered a 500 year flood that destroy over 300 homes and damaged 200 more.  Roads were blocked all over town and we had to cancel our weekend Services for a second consecutive week.

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    This is our house. The water rose to the edge of those 2 yellow trees!

The Facebook post asked a great question, “enough is enough?”.  When is enough…enough?

The Bible does say, “He won’t give you more than you can handle.”  Doesn’t it?  Actually, it doesn’t really say it like that.  Here is what 1 Corinthians 10 says:

13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. (NLT)

The key word in the passage is temptation.  You are tempted to not trust God. These stressful situations tempt you to trust in other things instead of God’s provision, protection, and satisfaction. (sorry, couldn’t think of another ‘p’ word)

The answer to the question of “when is enough…enough?”, is Jesus.  Jesus is the answer.  Jesus is always “enough”. No matter what we go through, Jesus is able to handle it.  We are put to the test through temptation: Do we trust that Jesus can get us through this one, and this one, and this one, and this one.  Even when the bulleted list grows and grows, we have a choice. Do we trust him or not?  If we are struggling through something, then we look to Jesus for our solution.  He always has a way to get us through.

Yeah, but how does that work?

We need:

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    Uncle Ed has been praying for Kennady and loving on her for 13 years.

    PEOPLE in our lives to keep us focused on Jesus when the situation is distracting.  We need people to care for us and provide for our needs. We need people to speak the truth of the Gospel when all we can hear are lies.  In the local church, Jesus provides PEOPLE to get us through it.  We have had PEOPLE visiting us that were a part of our church 13 years ago. When you become family in a church, it makes a huge difference.  Find a church. Lock in and don’t leave.  You will need them someday in a crisis.  Not only do they provide food, shelter and hugs, but they also provide prayer and counsel. They remind you that Jesus cares, and will heal.

  • PATTERNS in our life to keep us anchored when the waves toss to and fro.  Locking into a PATTERN of reading scripture, praying and giving (time, talent, and treasure) pays off big time when you go through tough times.  Jesus responded to temptation by quoting scripture.  He knew scripture because of his life PATTERN of reciting, reading, and listening to scripture in the tabernacle.

Jesus supernaturally shows up in these people and patterns.  They are the canvas on which God draws his masterpiece.

We are extremely grateful to all those who have been the PEOPLE in our life the past week.  We love you and can’t wait to be your PEOPLE.

 

 

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