Have you ever been through tough times, testing times? Times when things did not go according to how you think they ought to go. They were situations that you do not ask to go through. There were reports that you received about loved ones – bad news that you did not wish to hear. Has bad news or bad situations ever thrown you for a loop? Have you ever had your head knocked off your shoulders? Have you ever had doubts,  misgivings, fears, nervousness and empty feelings in the pit of your stomach? Tough times, tough tests are part of life 101! Here are ten steps you can take to become a problem solving maven.

Tough Times and Tough Tests

• ILLUSTRATION: Half-Dead
  Dr. Park Tucker, former chaplain of the federal penitentiary in Atlanta, Georgia, told of walking down the street in a certain city feeling low and depressed and worried about life in general. As he walked along he lifted his eyes for a moment to the window of a funeral home across the street. He blinked his eyes a couple of times, wondering whether his eyes were deceiving him. But sure enough, he saw in the window of that funeral home was this sign, in large, bold words:  “Why walk around half-dead? We can bury you for $69.50.   P.S.  We also give green stamps.” Dr. Tucker said the humor of it was good medicine for his soul. — Gospel Herald
• Many people are walking around half-dead because life has tumbled in on them.
• These things happen to ALL of us. We have an enemy.
• Difficulties are not prejudicial.
• Hard enduring tests are not discriminating.
• Comparing war stories has little value.
• Compare boo boo’s and magnifying the works of sin and the enemy have little real power.
• What we need to know is ‘How do I get out of the mess that I am in?’
• Here are some steps.

Step#1: Understand the Mess

• Now what happens with humanity is that they tend to not understand where ‘the mess’ came from and because they don’t, they think in these terms:
• If I have problems, you know, I must be one.
• If I have a mess, I must be a mess.
• Humanity identifies with The Mess. ¹
• ILLUSTRATION: Ministering in Trinadad
  I went to Trinadad and preached there when I was the 20. The pastor that were visiting and holding services for one day took us around – kind of like a tour. He brought us to the section of town where the poor lived. I mean they were poor! I never saw such poverty. Little houses made out corrugated tin. We stepped into some of these tiny tiny living spaces and there were only dirt floors. Funny thing though, they had TV’s!  My first thought was forget the TV, buy yourself a floor! But when you come face to face with abject poverty such as this, your first thought is to give money! The local pastor warned us against that impulse. He said when these people received money, they would spend it on the wrong thing – and no matter how much they received they would only end up right back in this tin village.
• Why is that?
• Because they identified with the Mess.
• They didn’t think there was anything else but The Mess.
• They became one with The Mess.
• The Mess that was outside in the world had gotten on the inside of them.
• People label themselves ‘A’ Mess because of ‘The’ Mess.
• Now people do this, that is identify or label themselves, because of a disconnect.
• The enemy disguises himself as the brains behind The Mess.
• It is one of the wiles or methods of the enemy.
• The point is, if men could actually see Jesus and they could actually see Satan, they would pick Jesus every time.
• If men could see God’s plan and they actually could see the devils methods, they would pick God’s plan every time.
• That is why the enemy hates Bible teaching,
• So, people associate themselves with The Mess because…
• They don’t understand where it comes from.
• They don’t understand its origin.
• But you are not like that; you know where The Mess all began.

Step #2: Realize the Mess Started in the Garden When Sin Came into the World

Romans 5:12 (AV)
12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

• The Mess occurs because the sin nature was developed in man.
• Here is the Mess described in a nutshell.
• The Amplified translation does a terrific job with these 3 verses.

Ephesians 2:1–3 (AMP)
1 AND YOU [He made alive], when you were dead (slain) by [your] trespasses and sins 2 In which at one time you walked [habitually]. You were following the course and fashion of this world [were under the sway of the tendency of this present age], following the prince of the power of the air. [You were obedient to and under the control of] the [demon] spirit that still constantly works in the sons of disobedience [the careless, the rebellious, and the unbelieving, who go against the purposes of God]. 3 Among these we as well as you once lived and conducted ourselves in the passions of our flesh [our behavior governed by our corrupt and sensual nature], obeying the impulses of the flesh and the thoughts of the mind [our cravings dictated by our senses and our dark imaginings]. We were then by nature children of [God’s] wrath and heirs of [His] indignation, like the rest of mankind.

• That’s the Mess!
• These verses indicate that mankind had help with The Mess.
• Man did not create The Mess alone, he had help.
• You have never sinned a sin in your life by yourself, you have always had help.
• So get this!
• If you didn’t create The Mess, why would you identify with it?
• You are not The Mess you were involved in before you came to Jesus and you are not the Mess you maybe experiencing after you came to Jesus.
• It is simply the wrong label!
• The actual truth is that you are not a Mess. You are a Masterpiece.
• Hear Jesus on the subject.

John 17:14–16 (ESV)
14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

• You are in the world but not of it.
• You are in The Mess but not of The Mess.
• Jesus came to deliver you from The Mess and give you a new identity in the midst of it: Masterpiece
• And here it is in the same chapter that we just read Eph. 2:1-3 describing The Mess
• Drop down to vs. 10.
• Here it is in the ISV

Ephesians 2:10 (ISV)
10 For we are his masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared long ago to be our way of life.

Step #3: Know that You Are not a Mess but a Masterpiece

• Note the phrase “prepared long ago”.
• ILLUSTRATION:  Preparation for Masterpiece
  Several centuries ago, a Japanese emperor commissioned an artist to paint a bird. A number of months passed, then several years, and still no painting was brought to the palace. Finally the emperor became so exasperated that he went to the artist’s home to demand an explanation. Instead of making excuses, the artist placed a blank canvas on the easel. In less than an hour, he completed a painting that was to become a brilliant masterpiece. When the emperor asked the reason for the delay, the artist showed him armloads of drawings of feathers, wings, heads, and feet. Then he explained that all of this research and study had been necessary before he could complete the painting.
• Here’s the point: it takes time to make a Masterpiece.
• God has spent way more time making and crafting the Masterpiece which is you.
• You were thought up in eternity past. You were in the mind and heart of God long before the devils rebellion.
• God spent way more time drawing up the plans for you, then the devil has spent making The Mess.
• The Masterpiece is far superior to the Mess
• With that in mind let’s talk about some practical things that we can do to handle The Mess.
• Here is a quick crash course on problems.

Step #4: Learn From Life’s Laboratory

• Great lessons and benefits spring from overcoming problems.
• Learn from other people’s problems, you can’t possibly live long enough to make them all on your own!
• Borrow a brain!

1 Cor. 10:11 (NLT)
11 All these events happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us, who live at the time when this age is drawing to a close.

Step #5: Understand that Problems are Common to Everyone

• I got problems, you got problems, all God’s children got problems.
• Even Jesus had problems!
• He had PR problems – they persecuted Him
• He had staff problems – the disciples fought over positions in His organization
• He had credibility problems – many did not believe Him
• He had political problems – the Jewish rulers did not receive Him.
• He had grief problems – his cousin John the Baptist was brutally murdered.
• He had relationship problems – his own friend Judas betrayed Him.
• He had loyalty problems – His disciples deserted Him
• But in the end…………..!!! – God the Father solved every one of His problems by raising Him from the dead.

Step #6: Grasp that the Problems you Face are not New

Eccl. 1:9 (NLT)
9 History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new.

• Every problem on planet earth is ancient
• There aren’t any new ones.
• Jesus is the way no matter what the problem
• There is no such thing as an unsolvable problem.
• You cannot keep God out of the Den of Lions
• You cannot keep God out of the fiery furnaces of life
• You cannot keep God from walking on the stormy seas to rescue you.
• Your problem has already been faced and solved.
• There are no undefeated situations on planet earth
• But, the devil, the author of all problems has been defeated.
• (what if I die sick? – problem solved!!! If you die, every problem you have is solved!)

Step #7: Know that Problems, Correctly Handled, Can Stiffen Your Stamina

• People say problems make you strong.
• If problems made you strong, everyone on planet earth would have superhuman strength.
• No! It is the solution, correctly applied, to a problem that grows you.
• Problems ignored hobble you.
• People do one of three things with problems
• They ignore it.

• They acknowledge it but ignore it anyway.
• They acknowledge it and overcome it.

Step #8: Recognize that Problems Unchecked Do Not Strengthen You Spiritually

• Don’t get sucked into that fallacy
• Problems unchecked suck out spirituality.
• Problems are designed by the enemy to:
• Destroy your dreams
• Discourage your development
• Dissipate your daring
• Dissolve your resolve
• They are designed to snow you not to grow you.
• Problems can solidify your humility
• The greatest problems sometimes belong to the proudest people.
• The tuition is much cheaper if you humble yourself.

1 Pet. 5:6 (NLT)
6 So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and in his good time he will honor you.

Step #9: Accept the Fact that Problems Introduce You to Yourself

• They introduce you to yourself.
• If you keep having the same problem over and over again, that is a clue!
• The clue is, the problem is you!
• They show you how you think
• They show you what you are made of.
• They show your faith level. (in one sense)
• They show your attitude
• Your attitude advertises what you have inwardly.

• Problems Are:
  • Predictors – they help mold our future
  • Reminders – we are not self-sufficient. We need God and others to help.
  • Opportunities – they will pull you out of the rut and help you think creatively.
  • Prospects – they open up doors that we usually would not go through
  • Lessons – each new challenge can teach us.
  • Everywhere – no place or person is excluded from them
  • Messages – they warn us about potential disaster
  • Solvable – no problem is without a solution.

Step #10: Increase the Ability of Your Attitude

• Your attitude has much to do with how you handle The Mess
• Our Attitude should match Jesus attitude

Phil. 2:5 (NLT)
5 Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had.

• You have heard the story of two people trying to get to grandmas. They both look at the gas tank. One says, we can go the tank is ½ full. The other person, looking at the same tank, says we can’t go because the tank is ½ full. Who gets to grandmas? The person that has the right attitude.
• So here is the same person, the negative soul, the one with the bad attitude. He looks at life and says
• ILLUSTRATION:Something is Always
  • The weather is bad;
  • The bottles are not returnable;
  • The empty cans are not burnable;
  • The sonic boom is terrible
  • The food isn’t edible
  • The car is leakable
  • The bill boards are unspeakable
  • The slums are incurable
  • The smog is unendurable
  • The phosphates are not dissolvable
  • The problems seem unsolvable
  • The people are unforgivable
  • And life has become intolerable.
• For this person, everything is bad
• A person like this will not solve problems because he things everything is a problem.
• He’s too busy finding new problems to solve any old ones.
• If you want to increase in your ability to solve problems, increase the ability of your attitude.
• If you increase your attitude, a percentage of your problems will disappear. You viewed it as a problem, but your attitude changed and it’s no longer a problem, though the same situation exists..

Call to Action:

So, there you have it, ten steps to help you overcome problems, tests and trials. These are not the only steps but they are some that you can take to help you on your journey. Identifying with God’s Word instead of becoming your situation is the purpose of these steps. Put them into operation and be transformed in your life.

Question: What other steps have you taken to help you become a better problem solver? Would you please leave your remarks in the comments section below?
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References