THRIVE!!!!

Now the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree which belonged to the Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites. And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!. “Judges 6:11, 12”

It seems to me that there are three sets of people on the earth: Failures, Survivors and the Thriving.

The world we live in is fraught with contradictions, inconsistencies and trials. Indeed, for the natural man, the Bible says his days are short and full of troubles. Many people are stuck in the life of failed dreams, failed marriages and failed business endeavours. For many people, life is a rollercoaster of pain and afflictions. They seem to go from one issue to the next. One bad news seems to come fast on the heels of another. Just when they think they have settled one issue, here comes the next. They are so consumed by their afflictions that they do not even have time to live! All they see is pain. When they talk, their eyes are glassy and look far into the distance.

Gideon was scared stiff. He was so scared; he was threshing wheat in a wine press. When the Lord appeared to him, he could not manage the conversation properly because all he saw was his failure and all the Lord talked about was his potential. Whilst he complained about what had befallen him and his people, the Lord called him a mighty man of valor.

Are you relating with yourself from your experiences or from what the Lord has spoken concerning you? Are you so consumed with your pain that you do not see what God is saying about you?

Survivor

The survivor has crossed the failure threshold. He is neither thriving nor prosperous, but he has some victories under his belt. He may not be able to feed his community, but at least, he can provide for his home. He may not be able to be a blessing to others, but he has experienced some degree of God’s blessings. He did not drown in the storm and he did not lose his life in the battle. He has scares to show his journey from failure. He has fought the beast in Ephesus.

All of us have been through this phase. In one part of your life or the other, you have survived. Whether a debilitating disease, a horrendous personal experience or a crazy financial crunch, you have survived to be where you are today. You must realize that if you are going to thrive when you did not even make it out of the failure stage?

Even a tree has more hope! If it is cut down, it will sprout again and grow new branches. Though its roots have grown old in the earth and its stump decays, at the scent of water it will bud and sprout again like a new seedling. “Job 14:7-9”

Imagine a forest with all trees chopped down. Some dried up. Some had more staying power- they were cut down but they were not destroyed. They were cut down, but they survived. At the scent of water, they would sprout again. That is your story. Don’t throw in the towel too quickly. Don’t give up easily. You have more fight in you than you realize. The God in you is greater than whatever trial you may ever face. Do not stop now!

This is why the Bible says a living dog is better than a dead lion.

There is hope only for the living. As they say, it’s better to be a live dog than a dead lion!. “Ecclesiastes 9:4”

A dog that survived the fight can thrive. A lion that died is dead and cannot do any more exploits.

I know you have survived a lot. I know you have been through more than people give you credit for. People have no idea the mountains and obstacles you had to overcome to get to where you are now. You are a fighter! You are a survivor. But then, there is more! You were not born to just survive. You were created to thrive!

You were not created to be a lone plant struggling through the scorching heat of an arid desert. You were designed to flourish. You were designed to take over! You were designed to fill the earth!

Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth”. “Genesis 1:28”

The Lord called Gideon out of failure and surviving. The Lord pulled him up and helped him to thrive. The Lion’s den did not stop Daniel from thriving. The pit did not stop Joseph from thriving. The fiery furnace did not stop Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from thriving. Nothing you have been through is strong enough to stop you from what God has in store for you. You were born to change the world. You were born to impact the world. You were dsigned with an-shattering, kingdom impacting agenda. Don’t let what you have been through derail you from where you are going.

You are a kingdom highflyer. You are on a mission. Don’t stop now!

Gideon had to metamorphose from a failure to a survivor till he began to thrive. He went on to lead Israel to great victories. The life he lived is the stuff of which legends are made. Yet, he had spent his early years hiding in fear and trepidation.

Don’t stay at the failure level. Don’t be content with being a survivor. You were born to thrive.

So thrive.

Rev. Samuel Rodriguez.

Adapted from the sermon preached at COZA on Friday 8^th January 2016