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Turning Point

  A Book of Short Religious Essays of Encouraging Words

  By Bobby A. Troutt

  Copyright 2013 Bobby A. Troutt

  Table of Contents

  Going Against the Grain

  Against All Odds

  Burning Bridges

  Hanging From the End of a Rope

  The Breaking of the Storm

  Reaching Up to Touch the Bottom

  Getting it Together

  Hanging by a Knot at the End of a Rope and It’s Coming Untied, Falling off Into Nothing

  Falling off in a Hole and Pulling it in on You

  Putting Back the Pieces with Some of the Pieces Missing

  Stepping off the Path a Step or Two

  Going off the Deep End with no Rope to Grab

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  Turning Point

  Going Against the Grain

  Anytime you go against the grain, whether you are right or wrong, you will have obstacles. The majority may rule but that does not always mean the majority is right. When you take a stand on what you believe in, not everyone will see it exactly your way. Everyone has an opinion and we are entitled to our own opinion. That’s why you will not always see things the same way as others. But, you should strive to do what is right in the best way possible. How will you know when your opinion on what you believe is wrong – when it becomes a mistake? How many mistakes will you have to make before you get it right? You will form some kind of opinion about this article before you finish reading it, which is good. You have that right. But, will your opinion be right? To you it will be because it is your opinion. But, other readers will also have theirs. Some may believe like you. Some may believe a little differently, but not much. And others may believe totally different. Think about it. How would you like to live in a cloned world where we all look alike, dress alike, act alike and so on? Variety sometimes is good. Can you imagine a world filled with one buttercup and nothing else, not even roses? Your opinion can be right or wrong; it can be useful or harmful. It can make all the difference in the world, but at the same time be meaningless. Your opinion can be appreciated, but at the same time be despised. Is your opinion of others always based on facts? Or, do you simply judge them and jump to conclusions with little regard that you may have made a mistake simply because you did not want to admit you might be wrong? Is your opinion really true and fair, whether it is right or wrong? Or, does it hinge on the fact of what others have said? Were they right or wrong? I guess you could say it all boils down to a matter of opinion.

  Jesus went against the grain. He stood for what He believed was right because He loved the people. He had a world of opposition against Him but He knew in the end how things would turn out. Nevertheless, He still took everything all the way and beyond. John 3:16-17 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

  Going against the grain can sometimes be costly. Doing so can take things that you really do not want to give up. If you are not careful, you can be pushed to the limit. Count your costs; is it really worth it? There are a lot of great things that happened by forming an opinion as well as a lot of bad things. Our opinion is one thing that makes us different and unique individuals. When Christ hung on the cross that day and looked out at the crowd, I do not believe the crowd’s opinion mattered much. I believe He looked in their hearts when he said in Luke 23:34a, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”

  Going against the grain has plenty of burdens to bear. Sometimes it is like a hummingbird flying into 125 mile an hour hurricane winds; the resistance is devastating. It is overpowering and leaves you crippled, hurt and at a loss. Is it worth it? That decision is left up to you. No one can answer that but you. I am glad Jesus thought it was worth it. Don’t you! Christ stood against it all so that He, too, could understand us better when we failed. His love endured from the beginning and down through time that in Him and Him only we would find peace and love. John 15:13 states, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

  Opinions sometimes are cheap, but very helpful. How many times have you gone against the grain, rubbed someone the wrong way and stood bold on that which you believed? Taking a stand means a lot as long as it is for the right thing. So, what do you say then? What is the right thing? What is right for me may not be right for you and what is right for you may not be right for me. Isn’t it a crazy world? What is it that they say? If you do not stand for something, you will fall for anything. Life is funny, you know. It is one of those things you think you almost have figured out, but then it suddenly changes. You think it is going one way, but yet it is going another. Everyone pretty much agrees that a stand should be taken on moral issues. But, those controversial issues can really drive you up a wall. It will separate the goats from the sheep and bring the worms out of the woodwork. The majority of the people took a stand to crucify an innocent man. A man who had done no wrong, but yet they crucified Him anyway. Did they do the wrong thing? If Christ had not died that day on the cross and rose from the grave, everyone would still be living in sin and without hope. I ask again; did they do the wrong thing? Would you say then it is all in how you look at the situation? Isn’t that true for the biggest part of things in life? How do you see it?

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  Turning Point

  Against All Odds

  David, a small runty youth stood before the mighty giant, Goliath. He was, surrounded by the Philistines, the enemy, on one side and Israel on the other. The young lad stood there with a slingshot and five smooth stones from a nearby brook; all odds were against him.

  You may have, at one time or another, stood in David’s shoes and faced the giants in your life. Life sometimes will pit you against all odds. When you are surrounded by the enemy, you have but little to go on and there is no one to back you up. What do you do? You stand and face it. No matter how bad it may seem, how impossible it may look or what all is coming against you, reach up with your heart unto the Lord and cry out unto Him. Put your trust in Him completely without any reservation. Move forward, drive back the enemy, capture that which falls before you and put it all behind you with God’s graceful mercy. Bring down those towering giants in your life and let them be swirling dust at your feet. Give God the glory and praise Him with your heart and hands. That which falls to the right, so be it, let it lie. That which falls to the left, so be it, let it lie. But, look straight up to the high hills where you shall find victory. There is victory in the blood of Jesus. Fear not, but take heed of God’s word for the sword of truth shall slaughter the enemy and bring him down to your feet. Facing life’s odds can sometimes bring a toll on you. If you are not careful, you will back away and be overtaken by the obstacles of fear and doubt that runs through your body. You’ll withdraw and hide from it as you feel sorry for yourself.

  David was but a boy that stood like a man for his God and his people. There was no one to stand with him, beside him or go before him. David took five smooth stones from the brook, but used only one and his faith in his God to slay the mighty giant. Would you have used all five stones? Would you have been crying for someone else to do it for you? It is a hard thing to face life as a man, woman or child all alone. There are decisions to be made. There is a lot to take into consideration and there is a lot to look at. But, what did David do? He faced it with God; he believed. If God be for you, then who be against you? Facing the world is scary. It is a great big world out there and the enemy, whether big or small, is out to
get you. And he will come against you. David stood against the giant and Judas received thirty pieces of silver. To conquer and be victorious depends on how you handle things and if you will let Jesus help you. Faith can move mountains; it activates God. Faith brought down the giant, parted the Red Sea and kept a boat afloat for forty days and forty nights. However, you still wonder what you need to do. The answer is simple; look up! The voice that spoke the world into existence, the same hands that formed the dust of the earth into a man, the mouth that breathed breath into his nostrils and the heart that took a rib and made a mate for man is the same today. He changes not. Then, why worry? Step out on faith and love. Let Jesus go before you. Let Him be with you and guide you. Walk humbly in His way, love and word. The worldly odds before you will be no bigger than that one smooth stone that brought Goliath down. No matter what you may be facing, how difficult it may seem or how impossible it may look, let it go, put it into God’s hands and look at it again. I believe your problem will not be any bigger than the stone that was in David’s hand. Greater is He that is in you, than He that is in the world.

  I know you have been through many storms and have experienced giants in your life. Just remember, you are not alone. Let the Lord manifest in your heart and life. You need that personal one on one relationship with Jesus. When you see things through Jesus’ eyes, things will not appear so bad. A faithful spirited look is far better than a stare into the darkness. You may feel all alone, abandoned and held captive in unpredictable circumstances and terrifying situations. There may seem to be no one who cares. You may be tired, afraid and worn down without a fight left in you. Look up, child. Look up unto the most high. If you listen to the still voice of God that roars in the thunder, showers down in the rain and flashes with the lightning you will hear Him say be still, my child, and know that I am God. When the storm passes and you are left standing bold and brave, your odds are better. Let the victory be sweet. Let the praise of the Lord be heard about the land. Look back over the conquered ways and know that God is in control. Let Him stir your heart with His smile. Let Him wipe away the tears from your eyes. Know and accept that you are not alone for “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

  Moreover, when you have achieved and conquered the quest, let your spirit fly high and soar into the sky, for with the Lord there are no limits. In addition, when the sun rests upon the horizon of the earth, know that although everything is against you Jesus is with you and together you can overcome and achieve that which is pleasing to Him. Going against the odds may have many different avenues and different people have different ways of dealing with things. However, what really matters is no matter how different or how many different ways, the Lord is with you if you will turn to Him. There is no road that has not been traveled by God and only the man who chooses not to follow Him finds himself alone.

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  Turning Point

  Burning Bridges

  Bridges come in all shapes and sizes, from a foot log across a creek to the Golden Gate. Why are bridges built? They are built to overcome obstacles in our path. People build imaginary bridges to pull their lives together and overcome obstacles presented before them. We all have done that at one time or another in our lives and that is all right. That is good sometimes and there is a time and place for them. Building bridges does not always solve the problem. Bridges that are left standing in our past can become a stumbling block for us and hold us back. They keep us from letting go of the things in our lives that we need to get rid of. Bridges that are left behind create a towering amount of trouble for us. The excess baggage carries a lot of weight. In life there are many problems and troubles that engage us in our walk of life. Life’s burdens can weigh us down and rob us of our many blessings. We need to learn from the bridges behind us to help us build bridges that we’ll need in the future. There comes a time when we need to clean out our closets, straighten up our lives and burn a few bridges. What does a bridge do anyway? It joins two pieces of land together (our future – our past). We cannot change the bridges of the past by holding onto them. We have to totally and completely surround it all before we can be free and move on. Give it to the Lord. Hoping and wishing for the impossible and spending our whole life living in the past only makes the future gloomy. Take heed and let go. The Lord has to guide our steps, lest we fall through the bridges that hinder our lives. What is gone is gone; what is over is over. Let there be a newness of life in us, through the Lord, and step forth from the bridges unto a new beginning. Sometimes bridges can cripple us and hold us back from the full potential of our lives. They can rob us of our dreams, wipe away our wishes and cause our plans to fall through.

  Some bridges may be good and do good things. They have their places in our lives. A bridge is an instrument of help in our time of need. Can we say then that when all is passed that we have conquered life? Or, have the unburned bridges brought us down in defeat. Leaving a pile of ashes behind and pressing onward toward a new horizon should motivate us in a way we shouldn’t want to go back. Living on trial and error, stumbling over hills and reaching for endless tops of mountains should make us aware there is more to life than it seems. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But, the joy of life is in the heart of the humble. From the ashes of yesterday’s ruins to the sweet victory of a brand new day, how blessed we are in those unfavorable moments that cherish our hearts. In life, there is a lot of water to cross under the bridge. Some of it, at times, can shake the foundation of the bridge. However, no matter what shall cross our way, how bad it may seem or how afraid we may become, if the bridge was to be washed out all we have to do is reach up unto the Lord God and let Him bring us safely through it. God parted the Red Sea; Jesus walked on water. Can we trust Him to calm the troubled waters under the bridges of our lives?

  Jesus is the bridge between us and God. If there ever was a time we needed to cross a bridge, it is today. Many of us are called but few are chosen. He that endures to the end shall be saved. On the cross that stood that day upon a little hill outside Jerusalem called Calvary hung the only bridge unto eternal life. Will we take that eternal bridge today or will we hold on to those bridges behind us? Some bridges we may never cross again in our travels of life and some we may never leave. If we had it to do over, would we? Looking back at all the mistakes and failures, would we have changed anything? Sometimes it is good to look back across the bridges of the past. We can get a better perspective of things in our lives. It is good to look back, but not go back. Life is but a moment, whether it be good or bad, in time that we have made. Does it take longer to tear down a bridge in the past or build a new one in the future? Bridges are helpful. They can hold a lot of weight and they can join two good things as well as deliver us from a bad situation to a good one. Bridges are likened to life because as time goes by, they deteriorate and start coming apart. Time heals all wounds. As the bridges crack, pop and snap, we press forward and look back no more. After their use in our life is gone, things do not seem so bad.

  Let our feet, oh Lord, walk in thy path that our journey may be as sweet as the honey of the bees. And when our hearts flutter as the butterfly’s wings, dry the tears that we cry so we can see all things. When our steps do cross the bridge over troubled waters, take our hand, oh Lord, and lead us on. And as we stand upon the crest of the bridge, let us look about and understand. Lead us Spirit, oh sweet Spirit of God.

  Our walk in this life may lead us across some bridges. May we keep the Lord with us, lest we fall through and be swept away. We do not always understand everything nor see the things we need to at the right time. There are always burdens to bare, trials to be tested, uncertain circumstances to face and bridges to burn in our walk of life. My only hope for us all would be that the grace of God be with us. I may not walk on water to get to the other side in this life, for I have bridges to carry me over during my weary travels to pres
s forward and not go back.

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  Turning Point

  Hanging From the End of a Rope

  We all at times in our lives have reached the end of our rope. We all have dangled on a thin thread of faith as we dealt with some things in our lives. Many times it seems like we have gone as far as we can go. Life sometimes takes a toll upon a person and will, if we let it, take us to the limits and leave us hanging by the end of a rope. There are those moments in life when we have no choice but to hang onto the rope’s end, trust in the Lord and believe in Christ His son that the Lord will bring us through.

  Moses stood on the banks of the Red Sea that lay before him. With Pharaoh and his army coming in behind him, Moses had reached the end of his rope. He had gone as far as he could go; he was at a standstill. What did he do? He reached up unto God. And what did God do? He parted the waters and made a way.

  The Lord will not leave us hanging if we pray and trust in Him. He will always make a way for His people. We as God’s people do not have to walk around in life hanging from the end of a rope. We have an assurance through Jesus Christ the son of the living God of what Christ has already done. We have victory in Him today. We may be, today, hanging by life’s rope of decisions, troubles, circumstances and situations. We are searching for an answer and asking ourselves what we must do. We must reach up unto Christ, talk to God, take his hand, trust him, hold on and don’t let go until we fully understand His will for us (not our will, but His will). When we truly know, we will be set free. Letting go of the end of the rope will not be any trouble because we are not trusting in the rope anymore, but believing in God.

  Life can, if we allow it, get us in a lot of predicaments that we narrowly escape. It can cause us to live on the edge, go too far and fall deep within. That is when we are put to the test of extremes, hanging from the end of a rope. At that point, a lot of the time, it wakes us up to come to the realization of just how we are. The reality of facing ourselves is something for us all to look into (self-evaluation). It would be safe to say that many great lessons in life, important decisions and many directions have been made and chosen by hanging from the end of a rope. Life sometimes leaves us without much choice, but with God in the center of our lives there is a way; His son Jesus Christ is our only hope.