Jeremiah 42:16
Then it shall come to pass, that the sword, which ye feared, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, whereof ye were afraid, shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there ye shall die.
The king of Judah came to Jeremiah to ask counsel about what he should do with the king of Babylon who was about to invade his land. Jeremiah prayed for the king to ask God what Judah should do. God told Jeremiah to abide in the land. God said that if the king chose to run to Egypt that the sword he feared would defeat him in Egypt.
God was teaching a great principle about how to deal with problems. God was saying that He is powerful enough to deal with your problems where you are without you running to where you think you will be safe. Sadly, many are like the king of Judah; they run to more trouble instead of staying and facing the troubles where they are. The king of Judah heard what the preacher told him to do, but sadly, he did not listen, and ran to Egypt for safety, but the troubles he ran from chased him into Egypt. Had he stayed and faced his troubles like God’s Word said, he would have overcome them in his land. This passage teaches several principles you must learn about not running from your problems.
First, running from problems is a bad habit to establish. Once you start running, you multiply the problems in your life. You may think a new landscape will change your problems, but I have always found that the problems people run from are always there to greet them when they get there. You can run from your problems, but you cannot run from yourself, which is the source of your problems.
Second, running from your problems makes them worse. The longer you run from your problems, the greater they grow. You will find that your problems will be greater at your new destination. You can blame everyone at the new destination for your problems, but that does not take away the fact that you are the source of your own problems. Why is it that you want to blame everyone else for your problems when you are the source of your problems? Your problems were where you used to be, and now that you have run to a new place, the problems are there as well. At some point, you must look at the common denominator of your problems and deal with that denominator, you.
Third, the best place to deal with your problems is where you are at the present. Dealing with your problems in the present instead of running from them is to deal with them when they are not as big. It is always easier to deal with problems now when they are smaller than to have to deal with them when they are bigger.
Fourth, you will have to deal with your problems at some point. You can run from problems, but you are running to greater problems. Your problems eventually catch up to you and force you to deal with them; therefore, the best way to deal with your problems is to deal with them in the present place before they get bigger.
Fifth, you will grow and give God the ability to build you if you stay where you are and face your problems. God’s place to build you is where you are, and His power is capable of building you despite the problems you face. Let me encourage you to face your problems now. The sooner you face your problems, the sooner God can build your life into a trophy of grace that He can mightily use in His service.
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