PROBLEM SOLVING

PROBLEM SOLVING

“Quality of Life Series”

2/23/05

LEADER: Whatta ya gonna do about it?

I mean when things don’t go right.

Is it a problem or an opportunity?

LEADER: QUOTE #1

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"When we have adversity we oftentimes tend to look around and think that we're the Lone Ranger. We tend to believe that we're the only one who has problems. And we always look around and see others who are more talented, taller, smarter, handsomer, or faster. I can assure you, everyone has problems—even football coaches. The ability we have to handle this adversity will determine the degree of success that we will have in life."

LaVell Edwards 1931- Football Coach

LEADER: Things to think about:

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #2

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"A problem is a chance for you to do your best."

Duke Ellington 1899-1974 Jazz pianist, composer, conductor

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #3

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"All your problems, discouragements, and heartaches are, in truth, great opportunities in disguise."

Og Mandino 1923-1996 Author/Speaker Sold over 30G books

Wrote “Greatest Salesman In The World”

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #4

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"Problems form an important part of our lives. They are placed in our path for us to overcome them, not to be overcome by them. We must master them, not let them master us. Every time we overcome a challenge, we grow in experience, in self assuredness, and in faith."

Royden G. Derrick 1915- American religious leader

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #5

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"I am more important than my problems."

Jose Ferrer 1909-1992 Actor/Director/Producer/Writer

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #6

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"Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved."

Barbara Johnson Author from The Joy Journal

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #7

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"Some people think only intellect counts: knowing how to solve problems, knowing how to get by, knowing how to identify an advantage and seize it. But the functions of intellect are insufficient without courage, love, friendship, compassion and empathy."

Dean Koontz Author

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #8

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"It is wise to direct your anger towards problems — not people; to focus your energies on answers — not excuses."

William Arthur Ward 1921-1994 Author/Editor/Pastor/Teacher

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #9

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"It's much easier to suggest solutions when you don't know too much about the problem."

Malcolm Forbes 1919-1990 Editor/Publisher of Forbes magazine

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #10

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"I must do something" will always solve more problems than "Something must be done."

Unknown

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #11

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"The measure of success is not whether you have a tough problem to deal with, but whether it's the same problem you had last year."

John Foster Dulles 1888-1959) US Secretary of State, Int’l Lawyer

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #12

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"Focus 90% of your time on solutions and only 10% of your time on problems."

Anthony D’Angelo from “The College Blue Book”

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #13

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"The greatest challenge to any thinker is stating the problem in a way that will allow a solution."

Bertrand Russell 1872-1970 British Philosopher/Mathematician

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #14

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"A problem well stated is a problem half solved."

Charles Ketterling 1876-1958 American engineer & inventor

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #15

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"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."

Albert Einstein 1879-1955 Mathematical physicist

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #16

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"Most people spend more time and energy going around problems than in trying to solve them."

Henry Ford 1863-1947 Engineer & Industrialist

Founded Ford Motor in 1903

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “He’d Rather Holler” Bits and Pieces, May, 1990, p. 20

http://www.bible.org/illus.asp?topic_id=1177

There’s an Ozark story about a hound sitting in a country store and howling as hounds do. In comes a stranger who says to the storekeeper, “What’s the matter with the dog?” “He’s sitting on a cocklebur.” “Why doesn’t he get off?” “He’d rather holler.”

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #17

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"The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world's problem."

Ghandi 1969-1948 Indian spiritual and political leader

Called Mahatma "great soul"

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #18

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"To solve a problem or to reach a goal, you...don't need to know all the answers in advance. But you must have a clear idea of the problem or the goal you want to reach."

W. Clement Stone 1902- American entrepreneur

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #19

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"To every problem there is already a solution, whether you know it or not. To every sum in there is already a correct answer, whether the mathematician has found it or not."

Grenville Kleiser 1868-1953 American writer

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #20

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"All personal achievement starts in the mind of the individual. Your personal achievement starts in your mind. the first step is to know exactly what your problem, goal or desire is. If you're not clear about this, then write it down, and rewrite it until the words express precisely what you are after. Every disadvantage has an equivalent advantage - if you'll take the trouble to find it. Learn to do that and you'll kick the stuffing out of adversity every time."

W. Clement Stone 1902- American entrepreneur

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “No Problems!” By Steve Goodier

http://www.sermonillustrator.org/illustrator/sermon2b/no_problems!.htm

Don't worry if you have problems! Which is easy to say until you are in the midst of a really big one, I know. But the only people I am aware of who don't have troubles are gathered in little neighborhoods. Most communities have at least one. We call them cemeteries. If you're breathing, you have difficulties. It's the way of life. And believe it or not, most of your problems may actually be good for you! Let me explain.

Maybe you have seen the Great Barrier Reef, stretching some 1,800 miles from New Guinea to Australia. Tour guides regularly take visitors to view the reef. On one tour, the guide was asked an interesting question. "I notice that the lagoon side of the reef looks pale and lifeless, while the ocean side is vibrant and colorful," a traveler observed. "Why is this?"

The guide gave an interesting answer: "The coral around the lagoon side is in still water, with no challenge for its survival. It dies early. The coral on the ocean side is constantly being tested by wind, waves, storms -- surges of power. It has to fight for survival every day of its life. As it is challenged and tested it changes and adapts. It grows healthy. It grows strong. And it reproduces." Then he added this telling note: "That's the way it is with every living organism."

That's how it is with people. Challenged and tested, we come alive! Like coral pounded by the sea, we grow. Physical demands can cause us to grow stronger. Mental and emotional stress can produce tough-mindedness and resiliency. Spiritual testing can produce strength of character and faithfulness.

So, you have problems -- no problem! Just tell yourself, "There I grow again!"

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “The World’s Most Communicative Disease”

http://www.sermonillustrator.org/illustrator/sermon2d/world's_most_communicative_disease.htm

There is a story in circulation about an optimistic farmer who couldn't wait to greet each new day with a resounding, "Good morning, God!" He lived near a woman whose morning greeting was more like, "Good God. Morning?" They were each a trial to the other. Where he saw opportunity, she saw problems. What brought him satisfaction, brought her discontentment.

One bright morning he exclaimed, "Look at the beautiful sky! Did you ever see such a glorious sunrise?"

"Yeah," she countered. "It'll probably get so hot the crops will scorch!"

During an afternoon shower, he commented, "Isn't this wonderful? Mother Nature is giving the corn a drink today!"

"And if it doesn't stop before too long," came the sour reply,

"we'll wish we'd taken out flood insurance on the crops!" And so it went.

Convinced that he could instill some awe and wonder in this hardened woman, he bought a remarkable dog. Not just any mutt, but the most expensive, highly trained and gifted dog he could find. The animal was exquisite! It could perform remarkable and impossible feats which, the farmer thought, would surely amaze even his neighbor. So he invited her to watch his dog perform.

"Fetch!" he commanded, as he tossed a stick into a lake, where it bobbed up and down in the rippling water. The dog bounded after the stick, walked ON the water, and retrieved it.

"What do you think of that?" he asked, smiling.

"Hmmm," she frowned. "Can't swim, can he?"

I believe that attitudes are the world's most communicative diseases. They can be as catching as any known virus. And when negative and cynical, they can be just as deadly. But a stubbornly positive attitude can often make the difference between happiness and misery, between health and illness and even between life and death. Once infected, you'll never be the same.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #21

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"To solve any problem, here are three questions to ask yourself:

First, what could I do?

Second, what could I read?

And third, who could I ask?"

Jim Rohn American business philosopher & motivational speaker

LEADER: “Eight Things to Do When Difficulty Hits You”

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1. Keep calm, don't panic, don't get dramatic.

2. Don't nurse regrets, (forget what is over the dam).

3. Practice de-confusion (list it on paper).

4. Don't insist on a solution for the whole problem (one step at a time).

5. Ask yourself if the problem is right or wrong; (no wrong action works out right) (hold on to the right and you will come out all right in the end.).

6. Pray.

7. Go for a walk and talk with the Lord and then listen and believe.

8. Continue to persevere. You will somehow stay on top and come out all right."

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #22

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"Approach each new problem not with a view of finding what you hope will be there, but to get the truth, the realities that must be grappled with. You may not like what you find. In that case you are entitled to try to change it. But do not deceive yourself as to what you do find to be the facts of the situation."

Bernard Baruch 170-1965 American financier/government advisor

LEADER: “Successful Problem Solving”

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1. Identify the problem.

2. Gather data.

3. Test possible solutions.

4. Select best possible solution.

5. Put solution into action.

6. Monitor and improve on it."

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #23

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"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination are omnipotent. The slogan 'press on' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race."

Calvin Coolidge 1872-1933 30th US President

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #24

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"The world is like a jungle, with dangers that can harm or mutilate your body, enslave or destroy your mind, or decimate your morality. It was intended that life be a challenge, not so that you would fail, but that you might succeed through overcoming. You face on every hand difficult but vitally important decisions. There is an array of temptations, destructive influences, and camouflaged dangers, the like of which no previous generation has faced. I am persuaded that today no one, no matter how gifted, strong, or intelligent, will avoid serious problems without seeking the help of the Lord. . . . Trust in the Lord. He knows what He is doing. He already knows of your problems. And He is waiting for you to ask for help."

Richard G. Scott 1924- Religious leader/Nuclear engineer

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #25

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"One of Satan's greatest tools is pride: to cause a man or a woman to center so much attention on self that he or she becomes insensitive to his Creator or fellow beings. It is a cause for discontent, divorce, teenage rebellion, family indebtedness, and most other problems we face."

Ezra Taft Benson 1889-1994 American church leader

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #26

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"The Difference I got up early one morning and rushed right into the day; I had so much to accomplish that I didn't have time to pray. Problems just jumbled about me, and heavier came each task. "Why doesn't God help me?" I wondered He answered, "You didn't ask." I wanted to see joy and beauty, but the day toiled on, gray and bleak; I wondered why God didn't show me. He said, "But you didn't seek." I tried to come into God's presence; I used all my keys at the lock. God gently and lovingly chided, "My child, you didn't knock." I woke up early this morning, and paused before entering the day; I had so much to accomplish that I had to take time to pray."

Unknown

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “What Satan Fears Most”

http://www.sermonillustrator.org/illustrator/sermon2d/what_satan_fears_most.htm

What Satan fears most

Is a man on his knees;

Not vast marching armies

With great weaponry.

He knows he can stand

Against the power of men;

To engage us in battle

Is mere sport to him.

But a man on his knees

With his head bowed in prayer

Is something quite different

To the prince of the air.

For when he sees us in prayer

To our God most high,

He knows we have seen

Through his devilish lies.

That's why Satan fears most

A man on his knees;

And we'll keep him trembling

If our prayers never cease.

Copyright ©1996 by Jan McIntosh

HAVE SOMEONE READ: II Thessalonians 5:17

Pray without ceasing
HAVE SOMEONE READ: “What Satan Fears Most”

http://www.sermonillustrator.org/illustrator/sermon2d/what_satan_fears_most.htm
We need to realize that there is a war constantly going on in the spiritual realm. The devil does not want you happy, blessed and rejoicing in the Lord, but rather depressed, in debt and blaming God for all the wrong that is going on in your life. The story in Daniel chapter 10 is evidence of this because as Daniel fasted and prayed for his answer, God heard him and sent an angel to deliver the message, but an evil spirit fought with the angel for 21 days postponing the answer from coming to Daniel. (Daniel 10:2-14) The good news is that God's angel won over the evil spirit and they will win for you as well.
The enemy will try anything he can to separate you from having a relationship with the Lord and he is very successful at bringing problems our way in order to keep our mind on anything and everything except God. That is why it is all the more important that we have a strong and committed prayer life. If the devil constantly sees you in prayer and always asking guidance and wisdom from the Lord to help in your situation, then the enemy knows his power has become ineffective against your life.
Maybe you are having problems within your family, marriage or at your job. You need to recognize that is the enemy trying to get in and destroy what you have and just as you would fight to get a burglar out of your home, you need to fight that spiritual war by praying, fasting, speaking forth the scriptures of authority and rebuking the enemy in the name of Jesus Christ. Jesus says in John 10:10 "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."
I encourage you to not sit idly by and let the enemy win, but rather stand strong and take back what the enemy stole in the name of Jesus Christ, in whom has all power and dominion, forever and ever, Amen.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “Dense Fog” From: The Paper Pulpit

http://www.bible.org/illus.asp?topic_id=1177

According to the Bureau of Standards in Washington, a dense fog covering seven city blocks to a depth of 100 feet is composed of less that one glass of water. That amount of water is divided into about 60 billion tiny droplets. Yet when those minute particles settle over a city or the countryside, they can almost blot out everything from your sight.

Many Christians today live their lives in a fog. They allow a cupful of troubles to cloud their vision and dampen their spirit. Anxiety, turmoil and defeat strangle their thoughts. Their lives are being “choked by the cares of this world” Luke 8;14. But “God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline” II Timothy 1:7.

Let’s not let the fog get us down! “Let’s live in the Sonshine!

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “A Full Cup of Coffee” DurangosCafe@aol.com

http://www.sermonillustrator.org/illustrator/sermon3/a_full_cup_of_coffee.htm

It was quite hectic around work the other morning . . . I had about fifty things all going on at once. Problems left over from the night before, several people all trying to get my attention at once, the phone ringing away . . . And all of this BEFORE I even had the chance to take the first sip of my morning coffee! My mind was racing in so many different directions I didn't know whether I was coming or going.

So finally, during all of this confusion and chaos I realized I needed a cup of coffee. I grabbed the coffee pot and proceeded to pour the coffee as I was talking to one of my employees . . . And naturally the coffee ended up spilling all over my desk because the coffee cup was still full from before.
Once the confusion and chaos was cleared away I cleaned up the mess on my desk and poured myself a fresh cup of coffee. I sat down to finally capture my thoughts and plan out the rest of my day . . . And as I did so another thought popped into my head.
I thought about me pouring that coffee into the cup that was already full . . . And how the cup couldn't take any more . . . The cup actually rejected the coffee and let it all spill off to the side of it.
Then I thought about how if we concentrate on the things above we leave no room for Satan and his evil. If we study God's Word and fill our minds with His teachings . . . If we fill our hearts with His Love then there is no room left for the evil one. And so the answer lies in keeping our cup full.
As it says in Psalm 23:4-6
"4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever."
Just a thought over a FULL cup of coffee

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “The Cushion of The Sea”

http://www.sermonillustrator.org/illustrator/sermon2d/world's_most_communicative_disease.htm

One bright morning he exclaimed, "Look at the beautiful sky! Did you ever see such a glorious sunrise?"

"Yeah," she countered. "It'll probably get so hot the crops will scorch!"

During an afternoon shower, he commented, "Isn't this wonderful? Mother Nature is giving the corn a drink today!"

"And if it doesn't stop before too long," came the sour reply,

"we'll wish we'd taken out flood insurance on the crops!" And so it went.

"Fetch!" he commanded, as he tossed a stick into a lake, where it bobbed up and down in the rippling water. The dog bounded after the stick, walked ON the water, and retrieved it.

"What do you think of that?" he asked, smiling.

"Hmmm," she frowned. "Can't swim, can he?"

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #27

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"It should be encouraging to you to know that if you are now confronted by any kind of problem, personal or otherwise, there is a way to solve it, and you will find the way as rapidly and as surely as you apply to it the principles of divine truth."

Greenville Kleiser 1868-1953 American writer

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #28

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"Let the seeking man reach a place where life and lips join to say continually, "Be thou exalted," and a thousand minor problems will be solved at once. His Christian life ceases to be the complicated thing it had been before and becomes the very essence of simplicity."

A. W. Tozer Author Died 1963 (Quote from The Pursuit of God )

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #29

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"We pray Thee, O Christ, to keep us under the spell of immortality. My we never again think and act as if Thou were dead. Let us more and more come to know Thee as a living Lord who hath promised to them that believe: "Because I live, ye shall live also." Help us to remember that we are praying to the Conqueror of Death, that we may no longer be afraid nor dismayed by the world's problems and threats, since Thou hast overcome the world. In Thy strong name, we ask for Thy living presence and Thy victorious power. Amen."

Peter Marshall 1902-1949 Pastor/Author//Chaplain to US Senate

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #30

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"Quit thinking that tomorrow your problems will go away and life will begin in earnest. The Lord is waiting to help you cope today if you will lay your human-size needs at his divine feet."

Paul H. Dunn 1924-1998 American religious leader/author/speaker

LEADER: QUOTE #31

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"Important rules to watch in living. Keep life simple. Avoid watching for a knock in your motor. Learn to like work. Have a good hobby. Learn to be satisfied. Like people, say cheerful pleasant things. Turn the defeat of adversity into victory. Meet your problems with decision. Make the present moment a success. Always be planning something. Say "nuts" to irritations."

John A. Shindler Author

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #32

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"THE MAN WHO THINKS HE CAN: If you think you are beaten, you are, If you think that you dare not, you don't, If you'd like to win, but you think you can't, It's almost certain you won't. If you think you'll lose, you've lost, For out in the world you'll find, Success begins with a fellow's will, It's all in the state of mind. If you think you are outclassed, you are, You've got to think high to rise, You've got to be sure of yourself before You can ever win a prize. Life's battles don't always go To the stronger or faster man, But soon or late the man who wins Is the man who thinks he can. NOTE: A copy of this inspirational poem hangs on the wall in Arnold Palmer's office. Arnie has made it a practice to read the poem at the start of each day. It serves him as a source of inspiration, courage and motivation that enables him to attack whatever problems and challenges that day might bring. It works for Arnie. It will work for you. Try it."

On Arnold Palmer’s( champion professional golfer) wall

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #33

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"The happiness which brings enduring worth to life is not the superficial happiness that is dependent on circumstances. It is the happiness and contentment that fills the soul even in the midst of the most distressing of circumstances and most bitter environment. It is the kind of happiness that grins when things go wrong and smiles through the tears. The happiness for which our souls ache is one undisturbed by success or failure, one which will root deeply inside us and give inward relaxation, peace, and contentment, no matter what the surface problems may be. That kind of happiness stands in need on no outward stimulus."

Billy Graham 1918- American evangelist

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “Give Your Worries to The Lord” By Peter Kennedy

http://www.sermonillustrator.org/illustrator/sermon3/give_your_worries_to_the_lord.htm

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

Philippians 4:6
James Cash Penney born on September 16, 1875, on a small farm outside Hamilton, Missouri. He was raised in an abiding faith in God and the Christian ethic of the Golden Rule. In 1902, he opened his first dry goods store in Kemmerer, Wyoming called The Golden Rule Store. His store became a hit and by the end of 1912, there were 34 Golden Rule Stores with sales exceeding $2 million. In 1929, J.C. Penney's business was highly unstable. He began to worry and became sleepless. He worried to such an extreme that he contracted painful shingles. Penny was hospitalized and given tranquilizers, but it was no help. He still worried about his business. One night, he felt that he was about to die. He started writing farewells to his wife, son, and friends. But by the next morning, as he was lying on bed, he heard singing from the hospital chapel next door: "No matter what may be the test, God will take care of you. . ." Suddenly he leaned up, thinking: "It is real! God loves and cares for, me." In no time, he had jumped out of his bed and entered the chapel. Penny gave his worries to Christ and the Lord continued to bless him.
Jesus Christ is bigger than any worry that you may have. Today in prayer, give the Lord your worries and rejoice in His goodness.
"Let us give up our work, our plans, ourselves, our lives, our loved ones, our influence, our all, right into [God's] hand; and then, when we have given all over to Him, there will be nothing left for us to be troubled about." - Hudson Taylor
God's Word: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" - Matthew 6:25-26

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “AFJTD”

http://www.sermonillustrator.org/illustrator/sermon1a/SFJTD.htm

Good Morning.
I am God. Today I will be handling all of your problems. Please remember that I do not need your help. If the devil happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, DO NOT attempt to resolve it. Kindly put it in the SFJTD (something for Jesus to do) box. It will be addressed in MY time, not yours.
Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold on to it or attempt to remove it. Holding on or removal will delay the resolution of your problem. If it is a situation that you think you are capable of handling, please consult me in prayer to be sure that it is the proper resolution. Because I do not sleep nor do I slumber, there is no need for you to lose any sleep. Rest my child. If you need to contact me, I am only a prayer away.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “If We Could See As God Sees” By Rubel Shelly

http://www.sermonillustrator.org/illustrator/sermon1/ifwe.htm

It was the poet Robert Burns who wished for humanity the power to see ourselves as others see us. What insights would come to us! But what if we could see our lives as God does?

If we could see as God sees, we would know that most of our fears never materialize. The majority of things most of us spend the bulk of our time worrying over are never going to happen. So we waste energy and weaken ourselves for today's task. Foresight and precaution are one thing, but worry is something else again. "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself," said Jesus. "Each day has enough trouble of its own."

If we could see as God sees, we would realize that no problem that does arise is without resolution. In our gloomier moments of illness, financial stress, or personal problems, we muse over questions that seem to have no answers. But the Bible still promises: "God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."

If we could see as God sees, we would understand that no problem comes without an attached blessing. The good end of a painful beginning can seldom be known in advance. So, in our anxiety, we tend to doubt that anything good can come from heartache. "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds," said Jesus' half-brother, "because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance."

If we could see as God sees, we would know that pain always signals the possibility for growth. Although we sometimes sigh for a world free of difficulties, we know deep inside that such a world would create cold and unfeeling people. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Through God's eyes, today may look very different from what you think you see. As my friend put it last week: "God's peace is greater than your pain, and his promise is greater than your loss." So trust the One with clearer vision.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: Luke 1:37

For nothing is impossible for God.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “In His Own Way” By Robert J. Morgan EXCERPTS

http://www.sermonillustrator.org/illustrator/sermon5/in_his_own_way.htm

Admittedly the Lord doesn't always deliver us from our problems in the way we want Him to. He does it His way, but in the long run His way is always best, and it always leads to worship. We hear Him speak in Psalm 50:15: "Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me."

"Many are the afflictions of the righteous," wrote David in Psalm 34:19, "but the Lord delivers him out of them all." So now, instead of asking, "How can I get out of this mess?" ask, "How can God be glorified in the situation I'm facing?"

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “Moving Mountains”

http://www.bible.org/illus.asp?topic_id=1177

Lord, I’ve never moved a mountain and I guess I never will.
All the faith that I could muster wouldn’t move a small ant hill.
Yet I’ll tell you, Lord, I’m grateful for the joy of knowing Thee,
and for all the mountain moving down through life You’ve done for me.

When I needed some help you lifted me from the depths of great despair.
And when burdens, pain and sorrow have been more than I can bear,
you have always been my courage to restore life’s troubled sea,
and to move these little mountains that have looked so big to me.

Many times when I’ve had problems and when bills I’ve had to pay,
and the worries and the heartaches just kept mounting every day,
Lord, I don’t know how you did it. Can’t explain the wheres or whys.
All I know, I’ve seen these mountains turn to blessings in disguise.

No, I’ve never moved a mountain, for my faith is far too small.
Yet, I thank you, Lord of Heaven, you have always heard my call.
And as long as there are mountains in my life, I’ll have no fear,
for the mountain-moving Jesus is my strength and always near.

LEADER: “Problems”

C. Swindoll, One Step Forward, Two Steps Back, p. 35.

http://www.higherpraise.org/illustrations/problems.htm

Every problem is an opportunity to prove God's power. Every day we encounter countless golden opportunities, brilliantly disguised as insurmountable problems.

LEADER: QUOTE #34

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/action/

"Each day of your life, as soon as you open your eyes in the morning, you can square away for a happy and successful day. It's the mood and the purpose at the inception of each day that are the important facts in charting your course for the day. We can always square away for a fresh start, no matter what the past has been. It's today that is the paramount problem always. Yesterday is but history."

George Matthew Adams Christian Author

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QUOTE #2

"A problem is a chance for you to do your best."

Duke Ellington 1899-1974 Jazz pianist, composer, conductor

QUOTE #3

"All your problems, discouragements, and heartaches are, in truth, great opportunities in disguise."

Og Mandino 1923-1996 Author/Speaker Sold over 30G books

Wrote “Greatest Salesman In The World”

QUOTE #4

Royden G. Derrick 1915- American religious leader

QUOTE #5

"I am more important than my problems."

Jose Ferrer 1909-1992 Actor/Director/Producer/Writer

QUOTE #6

"Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved."

Barbara Johnson Author from The Joy Journal

QUOTE #7

Dean Koontz Author

QUOTE #8

"It is wise to direct your anger towards problems — not people; to focus your energies on answers — not excuses."

William Arthur Ward 1921-1994 Author/Editor/Pastor/Teacher

QUOTE #9

"It's much easier to suggest solutions when you don't know too much about the problem."

Malcolm Forbes 1919-1990 Editor/Publisher of Forbes magazine

QUOTE #10

"I must do something" will always solve more problems than "Something must be done."

Unknown

QUOTE #11

"The measure of success is not whether you have a tough problem to deal with, but whether it's the same problem you had last year."

John Foster Dulles 1888-1959) US Secretary of State, Int’l Lawyer

QUOTE #12

"Focus 90% of your time on solutions and only 10% of your time on problems."

Anthony D’Angelo from “The College Blue Book”

QUOTE #13

"The greatest challenge to any thinker is stating the problem in a way that will allow a solution."

Bertrand Russell 1872-1970 British Philosopher/Mathematician

QUOTE #14

"A problem well stated is a problem half solved."

Charles Ketterling 1876-1958 American engineer & inventor

QUOTE #15

"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."

Albert Einstein 1879-1955 Mathematical physicist

QUOTE #16

"Most people spend more time and energy going around problems than in trying to solve them."

Henry Ford 1863-1947 Engineer & Industrialist/Founded Ford Motor in 1903

“He’d Rather Holler”

QUOTE #17

"The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world's problem."

Ghandi 1969-1948 Indian spiritual and political leader - Called Mahatma "great soul"

QUOTE #18

"To solve a problem or to reach a goal, you...don't need to know all the answers in advance. But you must have a clear idea of the problem or the goal you want to reach."

W. Clement Stone 1902- American entrepreneur

QUOTE #19

"To every problem there is already a solution, whether you know it or not. To every sum in there is already a correct answer, whether the mathematician has found it or not."

Grenville Kleiser 1868-1953 American writer

QUOTE #20

W. Clement Stone 1902- American entrepreneur

QUOTE #21

"To solve any problem, here are three questions to ask yourself:

First, what could I do?

Second, what could I read?

And third, who could I ask?"

Jim Rohn American business philosopher & motivational speaker

“No Problems!”

So, you have problems -- no problem! Just tell yourself, "There I grow again!"

QUOTE #22

Bernard Baruch 170-1965 American financier/government advisor

QUOTE #23

Calvin Coolidge 1872-1933 30th US President

“The World’s Most Communicative Disease”

One bright morning he exclaimed, "Look at the beautiful sky! Did you ever see such a glorious sunrise?"

"Yeah," she countered. "It'll probably get so hot the crops will scorch!"

During an afternoon shower, he commented, "Isn't this wonderful? Mother Nature is giving the corn a drink today!"

"And if it doesn't stop before too long," came the sour reply,

"we'll wish we'd taken out flood insurance on the crops!" And so it went.

"Fetch!" he commanded, as he tossed a stick into a lake, where it bobbed up and down in the rippling water. The dog bounded after the stick, walked ON the water, and retrieved it.

"What do you think of that?" he asked, smiling.

"Hmmm," she frowned. "Can't swim, can he?"

QUOTE #24

Richard G. Scott 1924- Religious leader/Nuclear engineer

QUOTE #25

Ezra Taft Benson 1889-1994 American church leader

QUOTE #26

Unknown

“What Satan Fears Most” by Jan McIntosh

What Satan fears most

Is a man on his knees;

Not vast marching armies

With great weaponry.
He knows he can stand

Against the power of men;

To engage us in battle

Is mere sport to him.
But a man on his knees

With his head bowed in prayer

Is something quite different

To the prince of the air.
For when he sees us in prayer

To our God most high,

He knows we have seen

Through his devilish lies.
That's why Satan fears most

A man on his knees;

And we'll keep him trembling

If our prayers never cease.

II Thessalonians 5:17

“What Satan Fears Most”

We need to realize that there is a war constantly going on in the spiritual realm. The devil does not want you happy, blessed and rejoicing in the Lord, but rather depressed, in debt and blaming God for all the wrong that is going on in your life. The story in Daniel chapter 10 is evidence of this because as Daniel fasted and prayed for his answer, God heard him and sent an angel to deliver the message, but an evil spirit fought with the angel for 21 days postponing the answer from coming to Daniel. (Daniel 10:2-14) The good news is that God's angel won over the evil spirit and they will win for you as well.
The enemy will try anything he can to separate you from having a relationship with the Lord and he is very successful at bringing problems our way in order to keep our mind on anything and everything except God. That is why it is all the more important that we have a strong and committed prayer life. If the devil constantly sees you in prayer and always asking guidance and wisdom from the Lord to help in your situation, then the enemy knows his power has become ineffective against your life.
Maybe you are having problems within your family, marriage or at your job. You need to recognize that is the enemy trying to get in and destroy what you have and just as you would fight to get a burglar out of your home, you need to fight that spiritual war by praying, fasting, speaking forth the scriptures of authority and rebuking the enemy in the name of Jesus Christ. Jesus says in John 10:10 "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."
I encourage you to not sit idly by and let the enemy win, but rather stand strong and take back what the enemy stole in the name of Jesus Christ, in whom has all power and dominion, forever and ever, Amen.

“Dense Fog”

Let’s not let the fog get us down! “Let’s live in the Sonshine!

“A Full Cup of Coffee”

QUOTE #27

Greenville Kleiser 1868-1953 American writer

QUOTE #28

B. W. Tozer Author Died 1963 (Quote from The Pursuit of God )

“The Cushion of The Sea”

One bright morning he exclaimed, "Look at the beautiful sky! Did you ever see such a glorious sunrise?"

"Yeah," she countered. "It'll probably get so hot the crops will scorch!"

During an afternoon shower, he commented, "Isn't this wonderful? Mother Nature is giving the corn a drink today!"

"And if it doesn't stop before too long," came the sour reply,

"we'll wish we'd taken out flood insurance on the crops!" And so it went.

"Fetch!" he commanded, as he tossed a stick into a lake, where it bobbed up and down in the rippling water. The dog bounded after the stick, walked ON the water, and retrieved it.

"What do you think of that?" he asked, smiling.

"Hmmm," she frowned. "Can't swim, can he?"

QUOTE #29

Peter Marshall 1902-1949