Getting up when knocked down. #1
By Pastor George Lehman

 

Proverbs 24:16 - “For a righteous man falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked are overthrown by calamity.

Calamity = An event causing great and often sudden damage or distress, a disaster, affliction, set back or adversity.



“The results you achieve will be in direct proportion to the effort you apply.”  (getting up is a decision)



God works with us, but we need to be working with God.

Throughout your life you will most certainly experience many knock-down moments.  (Not if, but when they come.)



“Life is a journey – often difficult and sometimes incredibly cruel but we are all well equipped for it.  If only we tap into our talents and gifts that God has blessed us with and allow them to blossom.” - Les Brown (we need to water them with the Word)



“Setbacks are setups for great come backs.” 

The ceiling of difficulty and hardships as you rise up, will become the floor on which you will walk in your breakthrough.



People are confronted with sudden unimaginable struggles, debilitating disease or injury, divorce, job loss, the death of a loved one, financial collapse, addiction, betrayal and so much more.

Can I encourage you, if you’ve been knocked down too…

Going through life’s tough issues does not have to mean feeling helpless and hopeless. God is with you!

Despite their circumstances, many men and women have discovered ways to not just survive their crises but actually thrive in it.

If hardships are a part of our lives. Then don’t you think it to be wise and put your faith into action; to be able to thrive.

I’ve seen so many people grow stronger from the experience!

No matter how devastating the crises or problem, they’ve used their circumstances as steppingstones to new beginnings.

Getting knocked down hurts.

This many times is what separates committed life changers momentum makers from average, ineffective people.



“This world will always give you the opportunity to quit, but only the world would call quitting an opportunity.”
-Clint Brown



The point is a man is not finished when he is defeated.  He is finished when he quits! It’s when you try living from your knocked down position.

Nothing and nobody can keep you down unless you decide not to rise again.

There are no hopeless situations, there are only men who have grown hopeless about them.

 

Paul said this about getting knocked down…

2 Corinthians 1:8-11 (Msg) – We don't want you in the dark, friends, about how hard it was when all this came down on us in Asia province.

It was so bad we didn't think we were going to make it. We felt like we'd been sent to death row, that it was all over for us. As it turned out, it was the best thing that could have happened. Instead of trusting in our own strength or wits to get out of it, we were forced to trust God totally — not a bad idea since he's the God who raises the dead! And he did it, rescued us from certain doom. And he'll do it again, rescuing us as many times as we need rescuing. You and your prayers are part of the rescue operation—I don't want you in the dark about that either. I can see your faces even now, lifted in praise for God's deliverance of us, a rescue in which your prayers played such a crucial part.

 

Job 42:10 (Amp) – And the Lord turned the captivity of Job and restored his fortunes, when he prayed for his friends; also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.



We must understand there is your limit and then there’s God’s limit for you.

Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they’ve got a second wind.

God always has a way out for His children.



1 Corinthians 10:13 (Msg) – No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he'll never let you be pushed past your limit; he'll always be there to help you come through it.



Romans 8:28 (NIV) – And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Notice, “All things” means… ALL THINGS! In Good or bad circumstances



When you feel weak, vulnerable, unsure or insufficient, it is not the time to panic or fear, but to trust.

God does not want us to trust in our resources or ‘make our own plan’ when it’s time to meet a need in your life, but to rely upon His resources.

 

Ephesians 6:10 calls us to be STRONG in the Lord and in the Power of His Might.  His arm is mighty to save and strong to deliver.



Your knock down is more than just an ordeal to endure.

It can also be part of a process that leads to growth, maturity and strength for a lifetime and beyond.

 

Micah 7:8 - Do not rejoice against me, O my enemy, for though I fall, I will rise again! When I sit in darkness, the Lord himself will be my Light.



Quote:

My faith in God has nothing to do with the number of times life has knocked me down.

It is based on the fact that every time I have been pushed to the ground my God has picked me back up.



Psalm 37:24 - If they fall, it isn’t fatal, for the Lord holds them with his hand.