2008-11-20T16:19:42-05:00 GCI info@gospel.com http://www.gospel.com/feeds/topics/control http://hutchcraft.com/Life-Issues/Out-of-Control/How-a-Thermometer-Becomes-a-Thermostat 2008-11-20T16:19:42-05:00 You are either a thermometer or you're a thermostat. Thermometer people tend to reflect the temperature of the people around them. "If you're hot, I'm hot. If you're cool, I'm cool. If you're nice, I'm nice. If you yell, I will yell." What most of us would like to be is a thermostat—someone who controls the temperature in our situation. http://hutchcraft.com/A-Word-With-You/Your-Personal-Power/Storming-Home-5664 2008-10-09T15:41:39-05:00 Your situation is out-of-control, but it is in God's control. In fact, God uses these stormy times in powerful ways to show you how much you need Him, how much you can rely on Him, to draw you closer to anchor people in your life, to help you see sin that you would otherwise would never face, to make changes you'd otherwise never consider. And then He brings you safely to your destination. http://hutchcraft.com/A-Word-With-You/Your-Personal-Power/Storm-Peace-5658 2008-10-06T12:27:58-05:00 Take care of the people and stay focused on your mission. Nestle beneath the protection of your Savior, the God whose you are and whom you serve. Remember, peace is not the absence of a storm. It is peace in the middle of your storm. http://hutchcraft.com/A-Life-That-Matters/Radio-Program/Feeling-Helpless-8101 2008-10-03T10:07:17-05:00 A lot of things are out of our control. They always have been. Actually, we only think we’re in control any time. We don’t run this universe. We don’t even decide if we take another breath, but things are never out of God’s control. http://hutchcraft.com/A-Word-With-You/Your-Personal-Power/How-to-Keep-Going-When-Your-Tank-is-Empty-5648 2008-09-12T15:06:37-05:00 If you dwell on how stressed you are, or how tired, or how sick or overwhelmed, you're done. You're dwelling on your empty tank. But if, on those depleted days, you consciously focus on your Lord's inexhaustible strength, your Lord's unlimited power, you will be able to keep driving when you thought you couldn't go another mile. http://hutchcraft.com/A-Life-That-Matters/Radio-Program/The-Surprise-in-the-Storm-8087 2008-09-05T13:20:52-05:00 The storm that looked like it was going to destroy them actually made them stronger.” Oh wait. That’s not just trees—that’s us. The Bible says, “We rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us” (Romans 5:3-5). http://hutchcraft.com/A-Word-With-You/Your-Personal-Power/Out-of-Control-Heading-Downhill-5638 2008-08-29T09:43:42-05:00 You're in the greatest danger if you're slipping and you can't even see it. Satan seldom destroys us through explosion; he does it through erosion - just slowly getting you to compromise a little bit more, to lower your guard, to get closer and closer to the flame. It's getting harder and harder maybe to resist what you know is wrong. http://hutchcraft.com/A-Word-With-You/Your-Personal-Power/Living-Unplugged-4460 2008-08-29T01:25:50-05:00 Pretty amazing: Martha has the Son of God right there in her home, and she is stressed, and critical, and miserable. That's when Jesus lets her know that all the important things she is hustling around doing are not as important as what Mary is doing - sitting at His feet, listening to Him. If life has become way too stressful and overwhelming for you, it's a good possibility you've been making that same mistake. http://hutchcraft.com/A-Word-With-You/Your-Most-Important-Relationship/The-Battle-over-The-Precious-4448 2008-08-28T16:44:26-05:00 The ring in Lord of the Rings is fantasy. The battle over "The Precious" is not. Because we all have something or someone in our life that is, for us, "The Precious." We can't let go of it. And like the ring in Tolkien's stories, the longer and more tightly we hold onto it, the more it slowly destroys us. http://hutchcraft.com/A-Word-With-You/Your-Personal-Power/The-Days-of-the-King-4548 2008-08-28T15:47:52-05:00 In Tolkien's "Return of the King," there's a man who is supposed to be the caretaker of the throne until the rightful ruler takes his place there. But when it comes time for the king to take the throne, the caretaker refuses to let go of it. He has to be forcibly and violently overthrown. Don't wait for that to happen to you. Jesus is the King of all kings. He is the Lord of all lords. What are you doing holding onto the throne of your life where He is supposed to reign supreme?