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Pastor Don Carpenter \/ General<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Let Down \/ Singleness;\nLoneliness \/ Psalm 145:14\u201321; 1 Corinthians 7:25\u201340<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the scariest possibilities for some people is that\nthey will be cursed to be single for their whole life. Does God have a place for single\nbelievers? Is it a curse? The answer to surviving singleness lies not\non trying to do what it takes, what ever it takes to end the single state, but\nrather to focus upon surrendering to the God who allowed you to be in this\nsituation in the first place. You are\nsingle, but not second class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Satan\u2019s\nworldwide convention:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Satan called a\nworldwide convention. In his opening address to his devils, he said, \u201cWe can\u2019t\nkeep Christians from going to church. We can\u2019t keep them from reading their\nBibles and knowing the truth. We can\u2019t keep them from forming an intimate,\nabiding relationship with Jesus. Once they gain that connection with Jesus, our\npower over them is broken. So, let them go to their churches, let them have\ntheir conservative lifestyles, but steal their time, so they can\u2019t gain that\nrelationship with Jesus. This is what I want you to do. Distract them from\ngaining hold of their Savior and maintaining that vital connection throughout\ntheir day!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow shall we\ndo this?\u201d shouted the devils. \u201cKeep them busy in the nonessentials of life and\ninvent innumerable schemes to occupy their minds. Tempt them to spend, spend,\nspend and borrow, borrow, borrow. Persuade the wives to go to work for long\nhours and the husbands to work 6 to 7 days each week, 10-12 hours a day, so\nthey can afford their empty lifestyles. Keep them from spending time with their\nchildren.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As their\nfamily fragments, soon, their home will offer no escape from the pressures of\nwork! Over stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still, small\nvoice. Entice them to play the radio or CD player whenever they drive. To keep\nthe TV, VCR, DVD, PC, Game Boy, and their XBoxes going constantly in their\nhome. See to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays non-biblical\nmusic constantly. This will jam minds and break that union with Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fill the\ncoffee tables with magazines and newspapers. Pound their minds with news 24\nhours a day. Invade their driving moments with billboards. Flood their\nmailboxes with junk mail, catalogs, sweepstakes and every kind of newsletter\nand promotional offering free products, services and false hopes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keep skinny,\nbeautiful models on the magazines so their husbands will believe that external\nbeauty is what\u2019s important and they\u2019ll become dissatisfied with their wives.\nThat will fragment those families quickly!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even in their\nrecreation, let them be excessive. Have them return from their recreation,\nexhausted, disquieted and unprepared for the coming week. Don\u2019t let them go out\nin nature to reflect on God\u2019s wonders. Send them to amusement parks, sporting\nevents, concerts and movies instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keep them\nbusy, busy, busy! And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in\ngossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled conscience and unsettled\nemotions. Go ahead, let them be involved in soul winning; but crowd their lives\nwith so many good causes they have no time to seek power from Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Soon they will\nbe working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and family for the\ngood of the cause. It will work! It will work!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was quite a\nconvention. The devils went eagerly to their assignments, causing Christians\neverywhere to get busy and be more rushed than ever before. I guess the\nquestion is: Has Satan been successful at his scheme?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1 Corinthians 7:33 KJV 1900<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n But he that is married careth for the things that are of the\nworld, how he may please his<\/em> wife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1 Corinthians 7:34 KJV 1900<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n There is difference also<\/em> between a wife and a virgin.\nThe unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy\nboth in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of\nthe world, how she may please her<\/em> husband.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1 Corinthians 7:35 KJV 1900<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n And this I speak for your own profit; not that I may cast a\nsnare upon you, but for that which is comely, and that ye may attend upon the\nLord without distraction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As we continue\nour series \u201cThe Letdown: When People Disappoint You\u201d, we are going to focus for\na few minutes on the subject of singleness. Some folks are single because they are not yet ready to marry. Some because they are old enough and stable\nenough, but have not found a relationship that held together long enough to\nmake that commitment. Some folks are\nsingle because they did get married, but for one reason or another the marriage\ndid not last. There are others that are\nmarried, but their spouse has become invalid and so they care for them as a\ngood spouse would, but their heart aches like a lonely single person would.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the scariest possibilities for some\npeople is that they will be cursed to be single for their whole life. Does God have a place for single believers? Is it a curse? The answer to surviving singleness lies not\non trying to do what it takes, what ever it takes to end the single state, but\nrather to focus upon surrendering to the God who allowed you to be in this\nsituation in the first place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Rather than focusing\non the tragedy of our singleness and how unfair it is that though we try and\ntry, we are still alone\u2026 we need to focus on the Character of God. In Psalm 145, the Psalmist David gives us\nsome unchangeable truths upon which we should meditate in order to align our\nthinking and our wills with the apparent providential will of God. You are single, but not second class and God\nhas a purpose for you right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Psalm 145:14 KJV 1900<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Lord\nupholdeth all that fall, \u2022 Those who fall – perhaps\nsingleness has come because you have stumbled in your walk with the Lord\u2026 this\ncondition need not label your life. God\ncan cause you to rise up again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The<\/em> Lord upholdeth all that fall<\/em>. The word\nhere used is a participle, literally, \u201cThe Lord sustaining;\u201d that is, the Lord is<\/em>\na Sustainer or Upholder of all that fall. The allusion is to those who have no\npower to go of themselves; who would sink under the burdens of life if they\nwere not supported. The idea is, that it is a characteristic of the Lord, that\nhe does<\/em> sustain such; that all such may confidently look to him to\nuphold them. Albert Barnes, Notes on\nthe Old Testament: Psalms<\/em>, vol. 3 (London: Blackie & Son, 1870\u20131872),\n322.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Proverbs 24:16 KJV 1900<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For a just man<\/em> falleth seven times, and riseth up\nagain: \u2022 Those who bow down – those\nbending under a tremendous burden\u2026 perhaps that burden is loneliness and\nunfulfilled desire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And raiseth up all<\/em> those that be bowed\ndown<\/em>. The word here also is a participle: \u201che is lifting up;\u201d that is, he\nis a lifter up. The reference is to those who are bent and bowed under the\nduties, the cares, the trials of life; who go bowed down under those burdens.\nGod is able to strengthen them so that they can bear those burdens without\nbeing crushed under them.1<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1 Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old\nTestament: Psalms<\/em>, vol. 3 (London: Blackie & Son, 1870\u20131872), 322.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 The Lord will provide the\nsustenance you need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 The Lord will open His hand of\nprovision<\/p>\n\n\n\n Psalm 145:15 KJV 1900<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The eyes of all wait upon thee; Psalm 145:16 KJV 1900<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Thou openest thine hand, Psalm 145:17 KJV 1900<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Lord is<\/em>\nrighteous in all his ways, \u2022 What ever state you find\nyourself in, God has not been unfair to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 There may be things you do not\nyet understand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Isaiah 55:8 KJV 1900<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For my thoughts are<\/em> not your thoughts, Isaiah 55:9 KJV 1900<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For as<\/em> the heavens are higher than the earth, \u2022 There be some things that you\nneed to surrender to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Psalm 37:4 KJV 1900<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Delight thyself also in the Lord; Proverbs 3:5\u20136 KJV 1900<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Trust in the Lord\nwith all thine heart; \u2022 It is all a part of His\nprovidential plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Romans 8:29 KJV 1900<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be<\/em>\nconformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many\nbrethren.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In How Life\nImitates the World Series, Dave Bosewell tells a story about Earl Weaver,\nformer manager of the Baltimore Orioles. Sports fans will enjoy how he handled\nstar Reggie Jackson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Weaver had a\nrule that no one could steal a base unless given the steal sign. This upset\nJackson because he felt he knew the pitchers and catchers well enough to judge\nwho he could and could not steal off of. So one game he decided to steal\nwithout a sign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He got a good\njump off the pitcher and easily beat the throw to second base. As he shook the\ndirt off his uniform, Jackson smiled with delight, feeling he had vindicated\nhis judgment to his manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Later Weaver\ntook Jackson aside and explained why he hadn\u2019t given the steal sign. First, the\nnext batter was Lee May, his best power hitter other than Jackson. When Jackson\nstole second, first base was left open, so the other team walked May\nintentionally, taking the bat out of his hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Second, the\nfollowing batter hadn\u2019t been strong against that pitcher, so Weaver felt he had\nto send up a pinch hitter to try to drive in the men on base. That left Weaver\nwithout bench strength later in the game when he needed it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The problem\nwas, Jackson saw only his relationship to the pitcher and catcher. Weaver was\nwatching the whole game. We, too, see only so far, but God sees the bigger\npicture. When he sends us a signal, it\u2019s wise to obey, no matter what we may\nthink WE know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Psalm 145:18 KJV 1900<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Lord is<\/em>\nnigh unto all them that call upon him, \u2022 Those that call on Him in truth<\/p>\n\n\n\n To all that\ncall upon him in truth<\/em>. In sincerity; not hypocritically; worshipping him as the true God, and\nwith a sincere desire to obtain his favour. Comp. Notes on John 4:24. We can\nhave no hope that God will hear us unless we are sincere in our worship. He\nsees the heart, and he will act towards us as we are<\/em>, and not as we profess<\/em>\nto be.1<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1 Albert\nBarnes, Notes on the Old Testament: Psalms<\/em>, vol. 3 (London: Blackie\n& Son, 1870\u20131872), 323\u2013324.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Those that call with a broken\nheart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Psalm 34:18 KJV 1900<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Lord is<\/em>\nnigh unto them that are of a broken heart; \u2022 The Lord will preserve them<\/p>\n\n\n\n Psalm 145:20\u201321 KJV 1900<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Lord preserveth\nall them that love him: Serve God\nbecause you are single, not in spite of it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1 Corinthians 7:20 KJV 1900<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was\ncalled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1 Corinthians 7:21 KJV 1900<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Art thou called being<\/em> a servant? care not for it: but\nif thou mayest be made free, use it<\/em> rather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1 Corinthians 7:22 KJV 1900<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For he that is called in the Lord, being<\/em> a servant, is\nthe Lord\u2019s freeman: likewise also he that is called, being<\/em> free, is\nChrist\u2019s servant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1 Corinthians 7:23 KJV 1900<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1 Corinthians 7:24 KJV 1900<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide\nwith God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A little girl\nwalking in a garden noticed a particularly beautiful flower. She admired its\nbeauty and enjoyed its fragrance. \u201cIt\u2019s so pretty!\u201d she exclaimed. As she gazed\non it, her eyes followed the stem down to the soil in which it grew. \u201cThis\nflower is too pretty to be planted in such dirt!\u201d she cried. So she pulled it\nup by its roots and ran to the water faucet to wash away the soil. It wasn\u2019t\nlong until the flower wilted and died.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When the\ngardener saw what the little girl had done, he exclaimed, \u201cYou have destroyed\nmy finest plant!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry,\nbut I didn\u2019t like it in that dirt,\u201d she said. The gardener replied, \u201cI chose\nthat spot and mixed the soil because I knew that only there could it grow to be\na beautiful flower.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Often we\nmurmur because of the circumstances into which God has sovereignly placed us.\nWe fail to realize that He is using our pressures, trials, and difficulties to\nbring us to a new degree of spiritual beauty. Singleness is an opportunity, not\na curse. You are a chosen servant of\nGod, not a second class citizen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Pastor Don Carpenter \/ General The Let Down \/ Singleness; Loneliness \/ Psalm 145:14\u201321; 1 Corinthians 7:25\u201340 One of the scariest possibilities for some people is that they will be cursed to be single for their whole life. Does God have a place for single believers? Is it a curse? The answer to surviving singleness … Continue reading Single But Not Second Class<\/span> The Lord Will Help You To Your Feet.<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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\nAnd raiseth up all those that be<\/em> bowed down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\nBut the wicked shall fall into mischief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\nAnd thou givest them their meat in due season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\nAnd satisfiest the desire of every living thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Lord Is Righteous in His Dealings.<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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\nAnd holy in all his works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\nNeither are<\/em> your ways my ways, saith the Lord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\nSo are my ways higher than your ways,
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\nAnd my thoughts than your thoughts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\nAnd he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\nAnd lean not unto thine own understanding.
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\nIn all thy ways acknowledge him,
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\nAnd he shall direct thy paths.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Lord Is Near Them That Call On Him<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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\nTo all that call upon him in truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\nAnd saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\nBut all the wicked will he destroy.
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\nMy mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord:
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\nAnd let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n