A SURE FIRE BIBLICAL APPROACH

TO PREDICTING THE FUTURE!

If you’ve ever worried about, well, ANYTHING...then read on! 

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We are going on an all out counter-attack against some of the most basic, but nasty, lies in the Enemy’s arsenal.  We are going to demolish them with Truth and, of course, do what we do…Transform Lives!

HERE WE GO!

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I’m going to get fired.

She’s going to hate me.

I’m going to flunk that test.

He’s never going to learn.

OR

What if he leaves me after 10 years of marriage?

What if the plane goes down?

What if we go bankrupt?

What if I never get that vacation, or car, or house, or my dreams or, or, or, or, or…

If you’ve never had thoughts like these, you are probably, well…not breathing!  Satan loves pulling these arrows (lies) out of his quiver on a daily basis and letting them fly to as many people as he can penetrate. 

Prime example:

MY TRIP TO DENVER

I woke up at 4 a.m. Tuesday in a stupor, and headed out the door to the airport.  It was 28 degrees and wasn’t supposed to start raining until later that day.  I got settled into the terminal about an hour ahead of takeoff (An hour?  Yes, I was with my dad – ex military – you get the picture!). 

Anyway, I’m watching the planes takeoff without a hitch and over the loud speaker I hear it’s time to board the plane.  The plane pulls away from the concourse and starts to taxi toward lift off, then stops.  It apparently had started to rain – freezing rain – so the de-icer trucks pull up and spray a blanket of mist over the top of us.  The plane again starts to taxi down the runway and again…comes to a stop.  The pilot announces that ice pellets are starting to fall, and since the de-icing fluid does not work with ice pellets, the pilot would “be in touch.” 

I called a friend of mine and was told the freezing rain was forecasted for about another 5 hours.  Hmmm…this could be a while.  So I turned my Ipod on and started listening to Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” (appropriate for an airline flight, huh?). BUT within a few minutes I was interrupted again by the pilot, who announced, “WE’VE BEEN CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF.”

WHOA! 

HOLD ON JUST A COTTON PICKIN’ MINUTE!

The pilot just told me we had to wait for the weather to change because of the ice pellets.  Am I now supposed to believe that in just a few minutes Mother Nature just happened to give us clearance?  Everything is NOW going to be ok? 

Then the arrow was aimed and fired,

“What if the plane goes down during takeoff?” I thought.

And from that thought, what emotion do you think shot through my body?

YOU GOT IT!

WORRY, anxiety and the stomach churn.  Score one for the Enemy!  Of course, he simply grinned.

THE “CRYSTAL BALL” LIE

Of course, I didn’t know WHAT was going to happen, but the Enemy attacked with, “Hey Derek, let’s start thinking about what MIGHT happen.” He was attempting to get me to believe in one of his favorite lies…

“YOU CAN PREDICT THE FUTURE”

Now if I asked you point blank, “Can you predict the future?” you would say “Of course not!” but that doesn’t stop the Enemy from shooting this arrow at you. 

THE ENEMY LOVES TO GET US TO LIVE

ANYWHERE BUT “RIGHT NOW”

He wants us to live anywhere in the past or anywhere in the future, it doesn’t matter to him, as long as we are not living or thinking in the PRESENT!

(Take a great big breath.

We’re going into deeper waters now)

THE DECEPTION OF “GOOD THOUGHTS”

Notice how our thoughts when predicting the future are usually negative.  Isn’t that kind of odd?  And some of us (people like me, anyhow) have tried to “outsmart” the Enemy by thinking “good thoughts”.  A thought like, “the plane will land safely, no problem.”

In other words, instead of predicting that the future is going to be bad, I decide that I can solve my worry by predicting the future is going to be GOOD!

WAIT!  I thought we decided we can’t predict the future and NOW we think we are making ourselves (and others) feel better by again falling into the trap of PREDICTING THE FUTURE!  Only this time we predict the outcome will be what WE want! (Some define this as “positive thinking”).

The Enemy LOVES this game!  In fact, I believe the Enemy likes this deception even better.  You see, if you predict that your future will be bad (not what you want) and that bad thing happens, you say, “See, I told you so.”  But if you predict a good outcome (what you want) and you don’t get it…then maybe you’ll blame GOD!  Be mad at God for not taking care of you.  Maybe he can get you to turn from God.  Or maybe you’ll blame your spouse!  That would also be good (from the Enemy’s perspective), because maybe he’ll be able to destroy your marriage!  All these outcomes are fabulous results, according to the Enemy.

 “THROWING GOOD PREDICTIONS AFTER BAD”

We do this to other people and the Enemy just chuckles…

My daughter says, “I’m going to flunk my test!”

(Predicting the future with a bad result)

Then I say, “No you won’t, you’ll do fine.”

(Predicting the future with a good result)

OR

My friend says, “I’m think I’m going to lose my job!”

(Predicting the future with a bad result)

Then I say, “You’re a hard worker, you’ve got nothing to worry about.”

(Predicting the future with a good result…and add a little judgment in for dessertJ)

Note:  The added “payoff” of practicing predictions with our children is the generational outcome…we get way more than we bargained for when we pass on this dubious “skill.”  Why?  Because one little prediction can grow, and land us in the middle of…..

THE PREDICTION PILE UP!

(This actually gets a little humorous…in a weird, sick, Derek kind of way)

So let’s say I decide to predict that I’m going to lose my job and that thought causes me to worry. Here’s how it might play out with a 5-car prediction pile up!

My thought, “I think I’m going to get fired!”

(Predicting something bad)

The Enemy smiles, then slips in a very teeny, tiny, little unassuming question. It’s really just a whisper… “Then what?”

“Then I won’t be able to pay my bills.” (Prediction 1)

The Enemy again asks, “Then what?” a little louder...

“Then my credit report will suffer.” (Prediction 2)

“Then what?” the Enemy asks, with a Jack Nicholson grin.

“Then I may never be able to buy a house or a car again.” (Prediction 3)

“Then what?” the Enemy cackles in delight.

“Then I may never find a job, which means I won’t have money to send my kids to college!” (Prediction 4)

Now the Enemy is belly laughing. “Then what?” he screams!

“Then my kids will never get a job and my wife will probably be so upset that she’ll leave me.” (Prediction 5)

The Enemy is now on the floor and can barely breathe because he’s laughing so hard.  Tears of joy are running down his face.

Now I’m barely breathing either, but for a very different reason and I feel a panic attack starting to raise its ugly head!

IT’S A FIVE-CAR PREDICTION PILE UP!

A LIFE TRANSFORMING 30-SECOND ASSIGNMENT

Here’s your 30-second assignment:

On the line below, write out a thought that you are worried about.  I want you to choose a thought that causes you any sort of worry at all, anything!  Write that thought down, BUT the only rule is this:  The thought you write down CANNOT predict the future in any way, shape, or form.  Go ahead, write down what you are worried about, but do not predict the future…

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How did you do?  Pretty tough, huh? 

Yep, it’s pretty much impossible to worry without doing what we know we can’t do…predict the future.

STOP! ENOUGH! GET ME OUT OF THIS MESS

Well, TRUTH IS ON ITS WAY TO SAVE THE DAY!

So what is Truth?  Let’s start with James:

TRUTH #1

HERE IS WHAT I KNOW…I KNOW THAT I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN TOMORROW AND I KNOW I CANNOT PREDICT THE FUTURE!

That’s right, I don’t know if tomorrow (or 4 hours from now or 5 minutes from now) something good or bad is going to happen.  I have no idea!  I don’t know if I’m going to get my way or not get my way.  But here is what I know. 

“I don’t know the first thing about tomorrow.”

--James 4, The Message

TRUTH #2

MY LIFE AND THOUGHTS ARE ABSORBED EXCLUSIVELY WITH GOD IN THIS PRESENT MOMENT AND WHAT HE’S DOING RIGHT NOW. 

God doesn’t live with me in my past or future (yes, He will be there in the future but He’s not living with me in the future, He’s living with me now).  God is the only one who is the Alpha and Omega, but I can only live with Him here and now.

Jesus said…

“Give your attention (this means think about it!) to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow.  God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes”

--Matthew 6, The Message

TRUTH #3 (little stretch here)

I DON’T CARE WHAT HAPPENS TOMORROW! 

(I know this one’s a little tougher, but let’s give it a try).

SO WHAT!! IF WHAT HAPPENS IS GOOD, SO BE IT.  IF IT’S BAD, THEN I’LL LEARN FROM IT.  IF IT’S DEATH, THEN I’LL JOIN MY FATHER.  SO, SATAN…GO (BACK) TO HELL AND STAY AWAY!

Jesus said…

“If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers – most of which are never even seen – then don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you?”

--Matthew 6, The Message

Jesus went on to say…

“What I’m trying to do is get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting (in the future), so you can respond to God’s giving (right NOW!)”

                                                          --Matthew 6, The Message

And finally…a favorite quote

“We long for some thing that is not and shut our eyes to the thing that is…this craving to go somewhere else, to see the things that are distant, arises from a refusal to attend to what is near (God!)” -- Oswald Chambers

Tape these Truths and verses to your mirrors.  Stick them on your computer, read them over and over and over.  Put them on a 3x5 card and read them at every meal.  Load them on your Blackberry and set your alarm to remind you to read them.  WHATEVER IT TAKES!  Send Satan’s worry lies packing and free yourself from the tyranny of anxiety.  Saturate your brain with them and focus on what is True! 

If you renew your mind…your life will be transformed. It’s a promise from God (Romans 12:2)!

Thinking about it,

Derek