What to Do When Everything Goes Wrong
Acts 27:13-44
THE SITUATION “all hope was then taken away…” (20)
Ac 23:11 …the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.
God said it. Believe it. That settles it.
Read Acts 27:13-44
There will come times in your Christian Experience when it seems that everything is going wrong. Some of you are there today… and if you’re not there, you will get there sometime in your life. Once you have determined to believe God and Life by Faith satan will challenge every step you take. Your faith will be tried! How you act and what you do while you are under pressure reveals your spiritual growth and development.
Have you ever faced a situation that got worse as you stood in faith? You prayed for someone who was sick and they got sicker. You really believed for a miracle and it never manifested. The harder you tried the worse things got! What do we need to do in the face of failure?
Many Bible characters developed into spiritual giants in the face of failure…
- Joseph… thrown into the pit and sold as a slave. Became the Prime Minister of Egypt
- Moses… Faced the Red Sea with the enemy approaching…. God showed up led them through
- Gideon… Hid behind a barn scared of the Midianites… His 300 defeated the hordes of enemy troops
- Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego… Refused to deny God and Survived the fiery furnace
When things go wrong, there are some options before you. You have choices that you can make. You will make choices today and what you choose to do will determine success or failure in your situation.
- You can quit… never good
- You can blame God for your mess… blame someone else… rationalize
- You can waste time trying to figure it out… the natural thing to do
- You can run away… will never solve the problem… or:
- You can Believe God… and this will always result in victory and deliverance
What Paul Did when everything went wrong… He refused to let the situation control him… Instead, he took control of the situation.
Acts 27
- God Said it and Paul Believed it (Acts 23:11)
Ac 23:11 …the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.
What God says will surely come to pass. If God says it, it will happen. What has God spoken to you?
You are more than a conqueror. You can do all things through Christ. Nothing shall be impossible to you. You are an overcomer. You are destined to win and will never lose. God is for you and no one can be against you.
- Cheer Up (22)
22 And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship
Anybody can moan and groan and grovel in self-pity. Anybody can call things as they are instead of as they are going to be. If you will be of good cheer, you can turn your situation around. If necessary God will move heaven and earth to rescue you. There will be a visitation from the Father. You will live and not die. You have nothing to weep about and everything to shout about. Impossible situations attract God’s attention. Be of Good Cheer!
- Fear Not. (24)
24 Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.
Fear and panic always invite disaster. Fear gives satan opportunities to torment you. Fear moves the devil and activates powers of darkness. Faith taps into the resources of God and cancels out Fear. Fear and Faith are opposites. Faith cancels out fear and fear prevents our faith from working. Never give in to fear.
The Lord is my light and salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of who shall I be afraid? Psa 27
Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil’ for Thou art with me… Psa 23
Check out Psalm 91
- Believe God in the midst of the storm (25)
25 Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.
Believe God and what God has said. It does not matter what IS … the only thing that matters is what God has Said. “I believe God that it shall be even as it was told me…” (25)
Do not believe circumstances. Do not look at your storm. Do not analyze your storm. Do not worry when things go wrong. Instead believe what God has promised.
What God told me about Life Church. “I have put before you an open door and no man can close it…” Rev 3:8 Times of imminent failure: foreclosure. Church splits. Accusations. Lies. Gossip. Criticism. Cantankerous church members…. I believed God… and God did!
- Don’t Run Away (31)
31 Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.
Never run from the situation. Don’t look for lifeboats… The shortest and best way through an impossible situation is straight through. Stay with it. Stick with it. Never give up. Do not abandon ship.
God is in control if He is in control of you. Help is on the way.
- Act Like Nothing is Wrong (34)
34 Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is for your health: for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you.
The only way satan has of getting information is by observation. By looking at you and listening to you. Act as if nothing is wrong and everything is great. This will drive the devil up the wall. Never plan your future on present circumstances or existing conditions. Remember… God’s supply is always greater than your needs.
- Your Faith in the fire will inspire. (36)
36 Then were they ALL of good cheer, and they also took some meat.
Your victory stand in the midst of any impossible “hopeless” situation will inspire others to trust God.
- The Storm will subside, and you will survive (44)
44 And the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land.
“And it came to pass (not to stay) … that they escaped all safe to land….”
Delay is not defeat. Every raging demon will fail.
So… what about now. Today. What you are facing. The stuff that’s going wrong. The stress you are experiencing. Your worries. Your fears. Your anxieties. Trust God. You will make it through. You will survive and all will be well.
BELIEVE GOD
dickbraswell 
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