Resuming Life After A Captivity
Building a Better Life – Part 1
Pastor Doug Cresswell
June 27, 2021
Captivity: “The condition of having your freedom limited involuntarily. Being confined, trapped, restricted or controlled against your will.”
The Opposite: Emancipation, freedom, independence, liberty, choice
How To Resume Life Successfully
1. Expect To Feel Mixed Emotions
“…all who had returned from captivity (in Babylon) began to work on rebuilding the Temple of God… When the builders finished laying the foundation…everyone sang with thanksgiving to God and shouted, ‘Praise the Lord! The foundation of his Temple has been laid!’ BUT many of the older people, including the priests and family leaders who had seen and remembered the first Temple wept with sadness when they saw the new foundation. But because everyone made so much noise that it could be heard far away, no one could tell the difference between the joyful shouting and the sad crying, and it was all mingled together.” Ezra 3:8-13 (NCV)
2. Extract The Lessons I Learned
“You have experienced many things. Were all those experiences wasted? I hope not!” Galatians 3:4 (ICB)
“Did you go through this whole painful learning process for nothing? It is not yet a total loss, but it certainly will be if you keep this up!” Galatians 3:4 (MSG)
3. Evaluate Everything Before Resuming It
“This is what the Lord Almighty wants you to do: Take a good, hard look at your life. Think it over! You’ve spent a lot of money, but you haven’t much to show for it. You keep filling your plates, but you never get filled up! You keep drinking but you’re always thirsty. You put on layers of clothes, but you can’t get warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it! So give serious thought to your ways!” Haggai 1:5-7 (MSG/NIV)
“Zeal without knowledge is not a good thing; a person who moves too quickly may go the wrong way.” Proverbs 19:2 (NLT)
4. Engaging Slowly Is OK, Don’t Be In A Hurry
God: “At the appointed time that I have decided, everything I’ve planned will happen. You can trust what I say about the future, but it won’t happen all at once. It may seem that it’s taking a long time, but be patient and keep on waiting, because the vision will surely happen!” Habakkuk 2:3 (CEV)
God told the Israelites: “I’m NOT going to get rid of all your enemies in a single year, because the land would then be deserted and unmanaged, and wild animals would multiply quickly beyond your control. So, instead, I will drive them out slowly, little by little, until you’ve grown strong enough to take full possession of your land!” Exodus 23:29-30