28 Dec 2014 by Kim Yung CM –
Reverend Kenneth Chin began his sermon by revealing the title mentioned above. “The things that haunt us can actually hinder us; so don’t let the things that haunt us, keep us from doing what God has called us to do,” shared Kenneth during Acts Church combined service on the 14th of December 2014.
When you’re with God, humility is the best reason for tough times; and humility in people should come after a haunting experience so that we learn to pray and depend on God even more. “We need to be humble, in the way we speak, in the way we think and the way we do things” he added. The enemy however is on a mission to obstruct our progress in life and that is why having faith in God is so important.
Genuine faith is able to usher in the fullness of God’s presence. It is stressful for people to lean on their own might to try to figure everything out; often when the mind is trying to figure out solutions it also additionally increases one’s confusion and frustration.
Often people fret more than they rest in God despite knowing that He is fully able to take care of their troubles. Whenever your troubles plunge you down into a feeling of depression, praise God! Sing praises and your focus will shift towards the almighty. It will shift your problems to the problem solver.
Psalm 34:1
I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
Mistakes, regrets and loss from our past can haunt us, but we must never permit them to hinder us from what God wants us to accomplish. These experiences particularly rear their ugly head when we are about to take a step in the right direction – causing self-doubt, and the halting of our progress.
Many key characters in the Bible were haunted by their past experiences, but eventually overcame it:-
1) Moses lived in the wilderness for 40 years of self-imposed exile following the murder of an Egyptian, until the Lord spoke to him in the burning bush. Moses was a man willing to kill for his convictions, but his first response to God in the wilderness was one of self-doubt (Exodus 2:11). “Moses was haunted by his mistake and at times one mistake is enough to cause us to forsake all that God has planned for us” shared Kenneth.
His conviction and confidence was clearly shaken from his single mistake, and this nearly halted his progress. Thankfully, while men may forget the calling of God over their life, God never forgets.
2) David, even as a man after God’s heart, made the mistake of killing Uriah the Hittite, after having slept with Bathsheba his wife.
As part of the punishment, God struck the child of David and Bathsheba with a fatal illness. Although David fasted and pleaded with God for a week, when the child passed David accepted his punishment. As his first action, he washed up and went to the temple to worship God (2 Samuel 11).
3) Peter denied Jesus thrice (despite his initial insistence that he would never do so) and felt incredible guilt when Jesus asked him if Peter loved him thrice (John 21). Jesus reinstated Peter, but Judas was not as fortunate – so great was his guilt that he hung himself. Again Kenneth reminded everyone that it is important not to allow that which haunts you halt you or even hang you. Life is precious.
4) Saul, before becoming Paul, was a persecutor of Christians, and had to live with this stigma even as an apostle. This may have been the “thorn in the flesh…, a messenger of Satan” that Paul describes (2 Corinthians 12:7).
We have to learn from our past mistakes, and the haunting stops when we can change our tragedy into testimony.
Philippians 3:12
“Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.”
If you are going through some difficult times today, don’t despair because even some of the best of people are no different than you are. Begin singing praises to the Lord right now, and discover for yourself the peace, joy, and victory that a praise-filled heart can bring! Never allow your faith in the almighty God to falter. “The haunting stops when you can turn your tragedy into a testimony!” shared Kenneth encouragingly.
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