Dealing With Monkeys Of Key Situations

Series: I Need Help Getting The Monkey Off My Back

Part 6 - Dealing With Monkeys Of Key Situations - Time Management

Hebrews 12:1 - 3

^{1Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
^{2Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
^{3For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
INTRO: Have you ever had a problem dealing with something in life that seemed to have control over you? Well I am going to deal with some things that are kind of like a "monkey on your back" kind of thing.
So, today when we hear the term, they have a monkey on their back, they are having a terrible time dealing with an issue, habit, or even a sin in their lives. I want to start a series dealing with some of these things people face in life.
Today I want to continue looking at the Monkey of Strong Emotions. I have been dealing with emotions the last several weeks. Today, I want to look at how Satan uses situations around us to cause us problems. Specifically I want to zero in on how he uses time.
Time is such an enigma. It is our friend and it is our enemy. When people don't want to do something, they use the excuse, "I don't have enough time." When they are in a hurry, "I don't have enough time." When they are struggling and someone offers to listen, "You don't have enough time." Yet, often when someone does something that they haven't done they will remark, "You have too much time." How can we go from one to the other so easily? Well, I may not have time to answer that one. But, Satan uses this attitude towards time to his advantage and to our detriment.
Satan uses time and he uses it well. Pun intended - he uses it al the time! Seriously, he never lets up. He likes to use our time - or - at least share our time. See, he know we only have so much time - he really gets that - he so gets that.
What are the complaints we have about time? "I don’t have enough time." Boy have I heard that one before - oh yeah, I've said that one! Man 24 hours is not enough in a day to get it done. I really need more time don't you?

Time is so slippery and elusive. We cannot hang on to it! We cannot save it. We cannot buy it. We cannot even count on it past the immediate present. Yet, we take it for granted, we ignore it, we waste it, we lose it, we forget about it (how can we lose track of time when it is so much a part of our life? Yet we do).
Have you ever sat down and tried to carve out more time? The problem is there are all kinds of "time grabbers" that use up our time.

Sleep - 8 hours/day
Food - 2-3 hours/day
Work - 9 hours/day (including prep and travel there

Hygiene - 5 minutes for the guys - 1 hours/day plus for the ladies (joke)
Needful chores - laundry, cleaning, mowing, etc. - 1 hour/day average
Exercise - 40 minutes/day
Paper, evening news, etc. - 1 hour/day

I'll even give you some R & R time…

Favorite TV shows - 1-2 hours/day
Shopping - 5 minutes for the guys, and 1 hour for the ladies
Crossword puzzles - Guys 1 hour/day - Ladies - 10 minutes - seriously they work them quicker - in ink too!

Okay, these are standard things we all pretty much need in our lives. Satan knows that, we know that, God knows that it is there right? So for those of you that have been tracking my times here, we have used about 23-25 hours or so. Wait a minute that is too much. I know that is what Satan counts on.
Lets look at some of the optional times I could think of - some of them are hard to put a time limit on…

Naps - well if you are going to time them - 2 hours
Extra TV shows - 2-4 hours
Fishing - hey, time is not an object here
Hobbies - a man needs his hobbies
Colt's games (don't forget IU, Purdue, Cubs, Reds, Pacers, Notre Dame, Michigan, Ball State, Anderson Indians, and lest I forget, N A S C A R.

Of course we all understand that these are important here - not just important , but of the utmost importance.

There's email, and email, more email.
Internet
Nintendo, X Box 360, Wii, P Station 1,2,3 whatever number were on (had to use the ads for these), or if you are form my era, there is Atari - oh yeah the king well maybe just the prince of "time grabbers" Atari.

I could go on, but I might get into some of my "time grabbers" and I don't really want to do that - yours will do fine. It is funny how we see other's faults and problems, but not our own.

Satan tells us, talks us into the notion that we do not have enough time to do anything or ANYMORE for God! Do you hear the monkey on our back?
Well he is not done there, he also tells us we have too much time. Or maybe more accurately, we have plenty of time.

You're young… no one dies until they are old!
You're young… you've got plenty of time!
You're young… enjoy life a little while you can!
You're young… wait.
You're young… wait some more.
You're young… wait just a little longer.
You're young… soon.
You're young…

Does Satan use this tactic on you? Well, he did. But when we get older, he wants to tell us we have used up all our time. What does he tell us?
He sings Carol Kings hit song, "It's Too Late Baby It's too late."
He changes the story all the time. He tells us we do not deserve God's grace because we have squandered our time. See he is so guilty of telling us half-truths.
He IS right, we don't deserve God's Grace - but God gives it to us anyway. You see God loves us.
We may have used up a lot of our time, but God has given us today.
The scripture says in Hebrews, "To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. " Satan wants us to think we have not hope.
In Acts 17:32 some on Mars Hill told Paul they would hear him on another day. That is what Satan's monkeys on our about tell us about time. Wait for another day. Felix in Acts 24:25 was waiting for a convenient time to think about God in his life.
What about you? What does Satan's monkeys tell you to do?
Okay, lets get into the message.
Time is a great gift from God

He wants us to use it wisely

Psalms 90:12 So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
James 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.

Wants us to start young (and continue throughout life)

"junk in - junk out"
Ecclesiastes 12:1 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;
Time is like treasure - use it well while you can
Luke 12:16 - 21 ¹⁶And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
^{17And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
^{18And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
^{19And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
^{20But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
^{21So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.}}}}}

Time in this life is brief

Like a shadow

1 Chronicles 29:15 For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding.

Like a handbreath

Psalms 39:5 Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity.

Like a weavers shuttle

Job 7:6 My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and are spent without hope.

Like a vapor

James 4:14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

Lost time is like lost opportunities

We can never regain it

Isaiah 49:8 Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;
Luke 9:61 And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.

Delay is dangerous to deadly

Time waits on no man

2 Corinthians 6:2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

Death stalks us

Psalms 88:3 For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave.
Genesis 19:16 And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.

All the things I talked about when it came to time, were missing something. We looked at the self-centered items of taking care of our wants and desires., doing the things we want to do. Spending the time like we are the only one that matters. But there was if you noticed ZERO time allotted for God and God's things in or lives.
That is not pleasing to God. That is not how He wants our lives to be.

Time can be our friend - there are promises in God's Word that gives us more time - not to say we will live forever in this life

When we give our time to the Lord

1 Kings 3:14 And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days.

When we obtain salvation - eternity will contain our time

Psalms 91:16 With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation.

When we live in reverence to God

Proverbs 10:27 The fear of the LORD prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.

When we live devoutly in front of people

1 Peter 3:10 For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:

So to sum, we need to live for God and use His time for our life well. And tell the Devil to, "Get off my back!"
Gary Marcum - New Beginnings Church - 111107am}}}