You can search the Internet for numerous comeback stories, and there are a lot,
both past and present, from Abraham Lincoln to Ulysses S. Grant to
Kurt Warner Robert Downey Junior. But you know who has the best comeback story
of all time? Jesus. I mean think about it. His life,
death, and resurrection literally changed the course of human history. He was guilty
of no crime, only did good while on earth. Yet he was betrayed
and crucified. There is no greater setback than to be cruelly and unjustly killed.
But what a comeback. Three days later he rose from the grave.
He scored the ultimate victory over death and sin, and the best news of
it all, he brought us along with him. Once you receive Jesus as
your Lord and savior, he lives in you, They'll never leave you,
and all things are possible when you believe in him. According to what the
Bible says, lose for winning. So when it comes to emulating comeback stories
and you want to emulate Jesus, how do you go about doing that?
How do you create your own comeback story? How do you dare to dream
again after a failure? Well, there are a few keys to keep in
mind. Hello, weirdos, I'm Pastor Darren. Welcome to the Church of
the Undead. Here in the Church of the Undead, I can share ideas
which are relevant to those who suffer with depression, need some encouragement, and
for those who love or are just curious about the God of the Bible.
And it doesn't matter if you're a weirdo in Christ or just a weirdo.
Everybody's welcome here at the Church of the Undead. And I use the word
undead because here we are dead to sin and alive in Christ. If you
want to join this weirdo congregation, just click that subscribe or follow button and
visit us online at weird Darkness dot com slash church. Full disclosure, I
might use the term pastor because I've branded this feature as a church, but
I do not have a theology degree, nor did I ever go to Bible
College. I'm just a guy who gave his life to Christ in nineteen eighty
nine and has tried to walk the walk ever since and has stumbled a lot
along the way, because like everybody else, I am an imperfect, heavily
flawed human being. So please don't take what I say, as gospel,
dig into God's Word yourself for confirmation, inspiration, and revelation. That being
said, Welcome to the Church of the Yon Dead Who. This week's message
is actually a Bible study I found in my U version Bible app It's a
three day Bible study. I'm going to share the whole thing with you here.
It's written by Karen Jensen Salisbury, and it's actually an excerpt from Karen's
book Why God, Why, What to Do When Life Doesn't Make sense?
And I will leave a link to that book in the episode description. So
if you like what you're about to hear, you can get more of it
through Karen's book. So how do you make a comeback? Well, first,
you make a choice. At some point in life, everyone has suffered
disappointment or lost a dream. When that happens, you have to make a
choice. You can either choose to set up camp and the land of disappointment
and regret, spending all your time thinking about your failure or the wrong that's
been done to you, or you can choose to get up and dream another
dream. We've probably all heard the analogy that when you fall off a horse,
the thing you got to do is get right back up on that horse
and ride. If you don't, you'll be afraid to ride, and the
horse will think he's one. God has not given you the spirit of fear,
so don't let it take root in your heart. But face your fear
and the power of God's might. Don't let the devil think that he is
one to get up. Decide to get up when you know you're placing Christ.
You have the supernatural strength and determination to do it. Galatians two,
verse twenty says, my old self has been crucified with Christ. It is
no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live
in this earthly body by trusting in the son of God, who loved me
and gave himself for me. Mark nine twenty three says, what do you
mean if I can? Jesus asked, anything is possible if a person believes.
When you've suffered a setback, once you've made a choice to get back
up and go again, there are two more keys to making your comeback.
First, try again, be willing to try again, Get back on that
horse and ride. Your safety net is in place. You've not lost your
place in Christ. He's still greater in you than anything in the world verse
John four, Verse four. It truly doesn't matter how many times we fall
down. All the matters is how many times we get up again. You
just got to get up one more time then you fall down. Remember all
God's power and love are still backing you. All the resources of heaven are
still available to you. And number two, get to work. Author John
Maxwell once said dreams don't work unless you do. That means every day you
need to throw back the covers, get out of bed, put one foot
in front of the other, and move on with life. Do something in
the direction of your new dream, even if it's just a small step.
Nothing happens when we do nothing. James one verse twenty two instructs us to
be doers of the word, not hearers. Only when we only hear and
don't act on what we hear. The Bible says that we're living in deception.
I don't want to do that, neither do you. The only people
that the word works for are those who do it. It takes effort to
make a comeback and dream another dream, but you can do it. Get
to work today. The Holy Spirit will guide you. Ask him what your
first step should be then be willing to step out and do it first.
John four, verse four. But you belong to God, my dear children,
You've already won a victory over those people, because the spirit who lives
in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world and James one
twenty two. But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what
it says. Otherwise you are only fooling yourselves. Then go for it.
When you've got a set back. It's easy to get gunshi to be tormented
with thoughts of your failure or trauma, so that you're afraid to try again.
Yes, making a comeback will take some guts, but you have that
be in Christ. Here's your final key. Be brave. People might say
that you're crazy or reign on your parade. All of these so called facts
might say your dream is impossible. But be brave and move forward anyway.
History is full of stories about people who went for it against all odds.
The phrases don't be afraid and fear not appear in the Bible anywhere between one
hundred and fifty and up to three hundred and sixty five times, depending on
the translation you're reading. Three hundred and sixty five times. That's one for
every day of the year. I have not counted them personally, so I
don't know the total for sure, but you get the point. The Bible
repeatedly tells us not to be afraid just because God doesn't want you to be
afraid. You don't have to be afraid of people, failure, or loss
because God is on your side, and if He's with you, nothing else
matters. So be brave. Tell yourself you're brave. Make this declaration out
loud, in agreement with the Bible, saying, when I have a said
it back, I am determined to put it behind me and make a comeback.
I make a choice to get back up and dream another dream. I
will get to work and try again. I'm not afraid because all the resources
of Heaven are still available to me. I'm a victory going somewhere to happen.
Take action today, Take some time to dream again, write down some
best case scenarios, and then pray and ask God for the next step in
your comeback and go for it. Be willing to dive in where the Holy
Spirit leads you. Never forget this. Because of your position in Christ,
you are a victory going Somewhere to Happen Romans eight thirty one. What shall
we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us,
who can ever be against us? Again? If you like what you just
heard, it's actually an excerpt from the book Why God, Why, What
to Do When Life Doesn't Make Sense? From Karen Jensen Salisbury, and I've
placed a link to that book in the episode notes. If you like what
you heard, share this episode with others who you think might also like it.
Maybe the person you share it with I'll want to join this weirdo congregation
too. To join this weirdo family yourself, find us on Facebook, listen
to previous messages, even find out how to join me in my daily Bible
studies. Visit weird Darkness dot com slash church. That's weird Darkness dot com
slash church. You can find the sources I used for this week's message in
the show notes. I'm Darren Marler. Thanks for joining me weirdos, and
until next time, Jesus loves you, and so do I. God bless