Increase my faith

8/22/19 By Jeannie L Horton Life Christian University student

Title: Increase my faith

Topic: How to increase your faith when raising a family

Introduction:

1. I have permission to share this story. This past summer, my daughter Naomi went to camp with the church. Naomi drove to the camp instead of taking the bus that was provided. When the camp was over, I assumed Naomi would leave at the appointed 11 AM time and would be home in 2 hours. I waited, and I waited, I then texted her to see when she would come home. She did not reply. I then called, and there was no answer. About one hour later, she called and let me know she was at the county fair with a friend. She said that her phone only had 8% battery life left. She also spoke to my husband let him know that the fair picks up after dark, and didn’t know exactly when she’d be home. I found out that the fairgrounds closed at midnight. Knowing her, I figured she’d stay that long. I kept texting her, asking when she was going to be home, and what her friend’s cell phone number was: she never let me know either. Her phone died. Midnight came, and I’m waiting up for her. 12:15 came, 12:30. No Naomi. About 12:40, I’m panicking, and I wake my husband Brett up. At 1 AM, he calls the police, and I drive to the fair to see if her car is there, it wasn’t. This whole time, I’m praying, worshiping God, and thanking Him for keeping her safe. When I get back, Brett lets me know we could put in a missing person report, but it would be helpful if we had the plate #. We looked and couldn’t find it. He goes to see if she’s at Shari’s or an ex-boyfriend’s. It was while he was gone that I briefly heard from God where she was, but I was too scared to believe it. My fear of the “what-ifs” were too intense. I lacked faith. God said, “She drove her friend home.” I woke my other daughter on Instagram. She was still at camp. I'm letting her know we didn’t know where Naomi was. It was 2:15 AM, and you can read on the messaging app, “Oh my God, she’s here.” And at that moment, I went to the driveway, and I fell to my knees, thanking God through tears. I said to her, “We were so worried, we called the police!” All she could do was tell me she’s sorry and that she lost the necklace that I got her for Christmas. She also told me that she had to drive her friend home, because her car was dead, yet she was nervous that I’d be mad at her for doing so. Her friend lived 45 minutes away. She locked her keys in the car when she got home with the engine on. The next day, I replaced the necklace and let her know that the necklace is replaceable, but she isn’t.

2. Raising a family is not easy. It is hard to maintain our faith when an adverse situation involves our family. I’ve had many situations that have tested my faith. I’ve prayed over my family many times, and I’ve said to God I trust You. But I admit, I still worry. I mean, it’s my family. God even spoke to me one day on the way to church. He said, “You don’t trust me, you’re too quick to take your prayers back by trying to intervene. Your family is safe and protected.” Because He is so good, He continues to be gracious to me in proving that He can be trusted. He has my family in His right hand. 2 Thessalonians 3:3 says, “But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you against the evil one.”

Proposition: Having faith of Biblical proportions is what Jesus taught His disciples about and what He wants us to have.

Interrogative sentence: How can we increase our faith, even when everything seems so wrong, even when our family is involved?

Transitional sentence: I get it, your child is being bullied at school, and you feel powerless to help. Your teenager says he will be home at 11 PM, but it’s midnight, and he’s not home. You can’t get a hold of him, and you’re a nervous wreck. We normally are okay; we can say, “God, I trust you!” We are even able to have faith for others. But when it is our own family, why do we lack faith? It is the same God that is in control, why is our situation any different? It isn’t. This morning we are going to look at the faith of Abraham when he was asked by God to kill his son Isaac. We’ll also look at what Jesus taught His disciples about faith in the book of Luke, and lastly, we’ll learn four ways of how we can increase our faith. Are you ready? Here we go.

I. FAITH OF BIBLICAL PROPORTIONS

 Abraham waited so long for his promised son Isaac. In Genesis 22, God tested Abraham’s faith when He told him to take Isaac to Moriah and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on a mountain. Now, I have to say the people from long ago got away with a lot. Even the idea and agreement, “Okay God, I’ll go and sacrifice my child,” would get us into a lot of trouble with the police. We’d end up on the evening news.” Now back to the story. Abraham agrees. He gets up the next day, taking firewood, his donkey, two servants and his son and goes to the mountain, a several day journey. On the third day, he tells the others to stay put. Abraham and Isaac were going to go a little further to worship but would be right back. He places the firewood on Isaac’s shoulder, and Abraham carried the fire and the knife. Isaac asks where the sheep was for the offering. I’m sorry, but red flag! Runaway kid is all I’m thinking. Abraham lets him know that the Lord will provide the sheep. I believe that Abraham had faith that the Lord wouldn’t possibly allow the promised child to die, that God would stop it. When they arrived at the mountain, Abraham built an altar. He laid Isaac on top of it, and just as Abraham picked up the knife to kill him, God innerves and stops him. God says in verse 12, “Don’t lay a hand on the boy! Do not harm him in any way, for now; I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.” Wow, just wow.

Abraham’s faith is incredible. He was willing to sacrifice his only son for God. That is how much He loved God and had placed Him above all things. I believe in this example, God was telling him, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” When Abraham said to Isaac, “God will provide the sheep,” he must have known deep down his son would be spared. God wants us to have the faith of Abraham. He wants us to trust Him at all times, even when a situation involves our family. 

God created us, and He created our earthly home. He didn’t just leave us to fend for ourselves. He hears our prayers and our cries. He collects our tears and knows how many hairs we have. He sends angels before us to protect us. When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane and was arrested, He told the armed men that He could have 12 legions of angels immediately for His protection. We can ask God for the same, and He would provide them, even 12 legions of angels. It says in Psalm 91:11, “For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go.” We can thank Him for this promise.

Transition: I don’t know about you, but if I were Isaac, I’d be asking an aunt and uncle if I could stay with them after being taken up to a mountain, tied to an altar, and almost killed by my dad. Abraham remained faithful to God that He wasn’t going to ask him to kill his son, and they are both breathing a sigh of relief. God hears your prayers, and He wants to increase your faith. Next, we’ll learn from Luke 17 how Jesus increased the faith of His disciples after He was asked to do so.

2. When the apostles asked Jesus how they could increase their faith, He taught them.

           a. Jesus taught them about the mustard seed. It says in Luke 17:6, “If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘May you be uprooted and thrown into the sea,’ and it would obey you.” In the story of the mustard seed, Jesus is saying, you only need a small amount of faith, and God will accomplish big things in our belief. It is never us doing the work; it’s always God’s power. We can’t boast about ourselves, giving ourselves unjustly credit. It’s all God and His power! But, we need to speak the prayer, and then God will go to work.

b. In verse 7-10, we learn the parable of the servant. It says, “When a servant comes in from plowing or taking care of sheep, does his master say, ‘Come in and eat with me’? No, he says, ‘Prepare my meal, put on your apron, and serve me while I eat. Then you can eat later.’ And does the master thank the servant for doing what he was told to do? Of course not. In the same way, when you obey me, you should say, ‘We are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty.” This parable showed me that we are unworthy servants of God’s goodness, mercy, and grace, but He gives it to us anyway. We are His children, and whether we deserve it or not, He’s going to bless us. I’ve had so many situations in my life that I was extremely confident that God was shaking His head at me in unbelief at my behavior and the situation that I got myself in. But, He still extended His hand out to save me. That’s who He is. He is good and gracious, genuinely faithful to us.

Transition: We learned about four ways that we can increase our faith. They were: speaking His Word, by experience, asking Him, and lastly through praise and worship.

3.  God is bigger than my unbelief. The question is asked in Romans 3:3, “True, some of them were unfaithful, does that mean God will be unfaithful?” No, it doesn’t. God is always good and always faithful, even when we are not. So, how can we increase our faith, even when everything seems so wrong, even when our family is involved?

           a. We can increase our faith through God’s power when we speak His Word. Isaiah 55:11 says, “It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.” God wants us to use His Word: to speak it over our situations, over our family, and others. His Word has the power to help us in so many ways. But we can’t use His Word if we don’t know it. Mathew 4:4 says, “People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Live your life speaking His Word. Speak it out. It will change all circumstances. Ask Him to increase your faith, and He will. Ask Him to give you wisdom. He will give it to you.

b. While I was preparing for this sermon, I was thinking about the ways that we increase our faith, and I thought about experience. With every situation where God answers our prayer, pulls through for us at the last second, mightily turns a situation around, or protects us from something dangerous, our faith in Him is increased, and this is what He wants. It says in the Word that if we can have faith as small as a mustard seed, He will move mountains. He wants us to come to the place in our life that we can say, “This is happening right now in my life, but my God is bigger than this situation. He is bigger than all of my situations. He is going to provide for me. God’s got this, and everything is alright.”

The night that I didn’t know where my daughter was, He spoke to me and told me where she was! This wasn’t a coincidence. It was God letting me know she was safe. She wasn’t making the best decisions since she didn’t call me with her friend’s phone, but God in His wonderful grace was protecting her. He loves me so much that He couldn’t stand to see me in so much distress; He spoke to me through my panic and tears. You don’t ever have to “strive” to hear His voice. He’ll speak to you when He wants to. 

c. We can ask Him to increase our faith and He will. God wants us to depend on Him. He wants us to be righteous people, and He wants us to be conformed more and more into His Son’s image so we can do His will that He has for us. But we can’t be conformed into His image nor can we do the will that He has for us if we don’t trust Him.

d. We can also increase our faith by raising a hallelujah. The lyrics to the popular song Raise a Hallelujah are this:

“I raise a hallelujah, in the presence of my enemies

 I raise a hallelujah, louder than the unbelief

 I raise a hallelujah, my weapon is a melody

 I raise a hallelujah, heaven comes to fight for me

I'm gonna sing, in the middle of the storm

 Louder and louder, you're gonna hear my praises roar

 Up from the ashes, hope will arise

 Death is defeated, the King is alive!” 

In the presence of our enemies, we should sing praises to God. Our praises to Him are louder than our unbelief; our praises to Him are a weapon used to fight against the enemy. Even in the midst of our storm, we shall sing a hallelujah to Him. He will hear it, and He will be glad. He will defeat our enemies, and He will rescue us. Psalm 22:3 says, “God inhabits the praises of His people.” He hears you when you cry out to Him, so worship Him.

Conclusion:

2 Timothy 2:13 says, “If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is.” He is faithful and forever will be even when we are not. He will never leave nor forsake you. Say scriptures over your situation. His Word spoken in faith is a weapon; there is power in His Word. When you are facing adverse situations, raise a hallelujah. Give Him praise for who He is, and for loving you. Sing in the middle of the storm; sing in good and bad times. Never stop giving Him praises. He will increase your faith. Trust in Him

God brings you through

6/17/19 

By Jeannie Horton 

Life Christian University student

Title: God brings you through

Topic: Reasons we can trust God in the storms of life

Introduction:

1. Jesus said that we would all face trials in life. They can make us feel weak and in despair, and God doesn’t always take them away from us. But He will strengthen you through them. Jesus understands our weaknesses that come from trials, temptations, and discomforts. He comforted and strengthened the Apostle Paul in spreading the gospel, and He will do the same for you. He will pull you through to victory.

2. In the book of Daniel, the three Hebrew teenagers refused to bow down and worship the golden idol that Nebuchadnezzar made and set up. Because of their refusal, it was ordered that the teenagers be burned alive in a fire. The teenagers called out to God saying, “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us.” After they were thrown into the fire, Nebuchadnezzar noticed that they were unharmed and that there weren’t just three people in the fire walking around, there were four. Jesus was in the fire with them. Jesus saved them. He pulled them through the storm.

3. Through the storms in life, remind yourself that Jesus is on your side. God loves us so much that He will bring us some discomfort to rescue us from anything He sees in us that is unfruitful. Things that will inhibit us from doing His will. God is our hedge of protection, He can get us through all situations, and we’ll come out victorious on the other side. How we view God affects whether we turn to Him in trust during the storms of life. He is testing our faithfulness, do you trust Him?

Proposition: The storms of life conforms us to Christ’s image, bringing repentance, gives us His strength, and demonstrates His love.

Interrogative sentence: How do you view the storms in your life?

Transitional sentence: Nobody likes trials and tribulations, but what we do when the storm comes, determines how long we will be them. Do we turn to God and trust Him, or do we complain about our circumstances and try to solve them on our own? God views our storms as a way to bring about good. We’ll look at four reasons God allows the storm in our life.   

1. TO BRING REPENTANCE

God knows the end from the beginning; He knows what He’s getting when He chooses us. He knows all of our shortcomings. Nothing we have done or ever will do is a surprise to Him. He loves us anyway. Out of His love, God wants to reveal Himself to us. He will do any means necessary to get our attention. He doesn’t want us to be spiritually lost or fall short of our true calling. He is a God that forgives, and He always wants to bring us to a place of repentance. He is never going to give up on you.

Peter, the disciple of Jesus, loved Him very much and was horrified over Jesus claims that he would deny Him three times before the rooster crowed, and the Lord’s death. But he did. He immediately felt a lot of pain and sorrow over his actions. After Peter denied Jesus for the third time, Jesus turned to look at Peter. Jesus looked at Peter with only love because love is who Jesus is. Taken from the book The Life & Teachings of Christ by Gordon Lindsay, it says:

In that look, Peter saw forgiveness and infinite love. He saw a revelation of Christ that he had never seen before, and it broke his heart to pieces. He wept bitterly but not in despair. It was at that moment that the new Peter began to come forth, the Peter who would less than two months later, preach a sermon on the day of Pentecost that would bring three thousand souls into the kingdom.

            We see in Luke 24:12, Peter was still not only grieving from the death of Jesus, but he was also still wounded from his denial of Him. He felt so much shame over what he had done. But something within Him changed. During Jesus’ 40 days on the earth after His death and resurrection, there were ongoing appearances of Him. In John 21, after breakfast with the disciples, Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved Him. Each time Jesus questioned Peter, Jesus replied: “Feed My sheep.” After the third time, Peter was upset that Jesus had asked him for the third time. He finally said to Jesus, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.” Jesus said, then feed My sheep” (John 21:17). Jesus had asked Peter three times if he loved Him because Peter denied Jesus three times. Peter was grieved after the third time, not because Jesus asked him if he loved Him three times. He was grieved because of his earlier denial. I believe in Peter’s eyes, this was his confirmation that Jesus truly forgave him. His forgiveness gave Peter the strength he needed to continue as Jesus’ apostle to do great things in the name of Christ. Peter’s ministry thus began, and his relationship with Jesus rebounded.

Transition: In the storms of life, God allows them to bring about repentance in us. God never gives up on us; He knows exactly where we are. In His never failing love, He uses our trials and tribulations to conform us into His Son’s image.

2. TO CONFORM US TO CHRIST’S IMAGE

When we face the storms of life, humble yourselves before God in complete dependence. We learn patience as we rely on Him and His strength so that His power can work through us.  God will often use undesirable or even painful situations to mold us into His image. God doesn’t always deliver us from persecution, trials, or tribulations. He desires our change of heart and our conversion. Look to God. He wants us to be conformed to Christ’s image. Submit yourself to Him, and allow Him to do a good work in you.

Romans 8:29-30 says, “For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.”

You can never outrun God. He will draw us back to Him, as we are never out of His reach. God hates sin, and if we are not in His good and perfect will, and are walking away from Him, allowing sin to creep in and consume us, He may allow a storm to change your direction. He wants to bring you to a place of repentance.

In the book of Jonah, God wanted him to go to Nineveh, but Jonah didn’t want to, he had other plans for his life. Jonah went another direction. So God prepared a whale to swallow him up. Jonah sat three days and nights in the fish’s belly. You might think, “Wow, that’s pretty gross and harsh!” While inside the fish, Jonah called out to God. God is a merciful, and gracious God, He never once left Jonah’s side. He was always there watching over him. God even commanded the fish to spit Jonah out onto dry land. Jonah was then commanded a second time to go to Nineveh, and that is when he went to preach the gospel to the people there.

God isn’t going to change His mind. Just as it says in Romans 8:29, He has called you to Him. He has chosen to become like Jesus, to be conformed into His image. He has a perfect, unique plan for each of our lives. We need to put our own plan and desires aside to do His will. We will be truly happy if we submit ourselves to His plan, and do the first time He calls you. Don’t be like Jonah, and think, “no thanks, I have other plans.” Obey Him the first time. God will pour out His blessings upon you when you’re obedient.

Transition: For when we are weak, God is strong. He steps in to give us His strength so that we can win the battle.

3. GOD’S NEVER ENDING STRENGTH

In 2 Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul continuously praised God in thanksgiving, and boasted about his weakness; he said he was pleased with them. He says his weakness is the result of all the insults, hardships, distresses, persecutions and difficulties: all the things that he encountered in his pursuit of spreading the gospel of Christ. God doesn’t stop all persecutions against us, but He gives us grace and strength to overcome them. God didn’t stop the Apostle Paul’s persecution, and Paul was glad for it. He recognized the power flowing through him. He recognized that Christ was giving him the strength that he needed to be an overcomer, and he wholeheartedly submitted to doing the will of God. He said he was strong because God made him strong, something he could never be in his strength. He was an empty vessel for God’s use, who he knew was making him strong. Because of the Apostle Paul, many lives were converted to believe in and follow Christ. 

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was in great distress over going to the cross that drops of blood fell to the ground. He asked God three times to take the cup from Him. But with each time, He would say “not My will, but Yours.” God did not remove the cup, but God sent an angel to strengthen Him to do the will of the Father.

I know it is tough to want to take care of all of our own problems, but let God handle them. Pray and give Him everything that concerns you. He is our good and loving Father, who will take care of you. Look to God as your strength. Ask Him to strengthen you through all trying times.

Transition: Even through our darkest times, He is always there. He never leaves us. His unfailing love wants to guide us back to Him.

4. TO DEMONSTRATE HIS LOVE

The Israelites wandered the desert for 40 years in search of the Promised Land. It was only supposed to be about a two-week journey once they left Egypt. But they rebelled. Fear and a lack of faith kept them in the wilderness. They refused to enter the Promised Land, and wouldn’t stop complaining; hardships and plagues kept happening to them. Even after God supplied them with necessary items that intended to be a blessing for them, through the plagues of Egypt, things that were intended to be a blessing for them, they still would not stop their complaining and thus kept them in the wilderness. He supplied them with water and food; He parted the Red Sea to deliver from Pharaoh’s armies. He provided them with His presence, a pillar of a cloud during the day as a way of guiding them; and the pillar of fire during the night provided light. We see in Exodus 15, God says, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and keeping all his decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you.” God was testing their faithfulness. But, they kept complaining. To God, this felt like they were rejecting Him.  They couldn’t trust Him as the God who provides, loved them, and wept with them. But what does God do? Because of His unfailing love, He kept providing for them. He never stopped pouring out His love to them.

When we find ourselves in the wilderness, in the storms of life, don’t be like the Israelites. Instead of complaining about what you don’t have, trust God to provide. Ask Him for what you need, and then give Him praise and thanksgiving. When you do that, that’s when He will pull you. Complaining will only keep you in the wilderness, and keep you from fulfilling your destiny.

Conclusion:

So when the storms of life come, how will you respond? Will you seek our loving Father whose intention is only to bring you good? Philippians 1:6 says, I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” The storms of life test our faithfulness to Him, do you trust Him? Trials and tribulations are going to come, but what you do when they come determines how long you will stay in the pit. The storms are meant to bring about our repentance; they conform us to Christ’s image, they display God’s never-ending strength when we are weak, and they demonstrate His love. God sees you. He cares for and loves you deeply. Look to Him, and continuously abide in Him, and allow Him to do a good and mighty work in you.

DRAWING FROM GOD’S STRENGTH

By Jeannie Horton

Life Christian University student

DRAWING FROM GOD’S STRENGTH

INTRODUCTION

If I wanted to boast, I would be no fool in doing so, because I would be telling the truth. But I won’t do it, because I don’t want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message, even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it way. Each time He said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:6-10).

Standing in front of the stage at worship and prayer night at my church, I have a heavy heart and tears streaming down my face. I feel as if heavy emotional burdens have been building up day after day. With the band members in front of me, and the congregation all around me, I can barely get the words to the song out, and I feel breathless. I feel crushed, broken, wounded, and weak. I can’t take the pain and the anguish any longer, and I cry out to God in my head. God speaks to me, “Child give me all your concerns, and burdens. I want to take them from you. Keep your eyes focused on me; keep your gaze upon me for I love you.” When I went for prayer that night, a woman gave me the same message that God had said to me. She put her hand on my heart and said, “You are anointed by God to do His will, and because of this you are under attack by Satan. Give all of your cares to God for He loves you. Breathe out all of your troubles, and breathe in God’s strength, breathe in and out.” All of Satan’s lies came to my realization, and he was crushed, he had to flee from me. A weight was lifted that night, and I was strengthened. Through my tears that night, I felt the love of God.

We will all face trials in life. Jesus said that we would. Trials can make us feel weak and in despair. God doesn’t always take them away from us, but He will strengthen you through them. Jesus as our High Priest understands our weaknesses that come from trials, temptations, and discomforts. He comforted and strengthened the Apostle Paul in spreading the gospel, and He will do the same for you. We will, in turn, be firmly planted in the will of God: comforting and ministering to others the gospel and love of Christ.

1. JESUS OUR UNDERSTANDING HIGH PRIEST

In the Old Testament, the high priest was someone who represented others to God. The high priest would act on behalf of others, offering to God gifts and sacrifices for the atonement of sins. Only the high priest was able to go into the Holy of Holies, a tabernacle where God’s presence was, to offer the sacrifices.  But the animal sacrifices only covered sin for a short time. But because of Christ’s death and resurrection, Jesus is our new and forever High Priest in heaven. His shed blood abolished the sacrifices forever, and our repented of sins are entirely forgotten. He is interceding for us and has enabled us to always come boldly to the throne of God. God no longer dwells in a cold stone tabernacle but lives in our hearts.

Jesus is God. He came to the earth in flesh and blood as a human, stripped of His deity. As the Son of Man, He humbled Himself during His time on earth. He understands our trials, temptations, and weakness because in His lifetime He experienced everything that we do to be able to relate to us, but He never sinned. Jesus has love and compassion for us and wants to help. In His weakness, He relied on the strength of God to pull Him through every trial, distress, and difficulty to display the power of God. A few examples:

1. Satan tempted Him during His 40 days in the wilderness. When Jesus was hungry, Satan tempted Him to eat. Satan told Him to turn a rock into bread, but Jesus said to Satan, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone” (Luke 4:4).  Satan knows scripture, and this story teaches me that I must also be a diligent learner of the word to fight against Satan. I need to know that as a child of God, I have the authority to fight against Satan’s lies, temptations, and schemes. He is the author of death and wants to destroy me and the anointed work that I am doing for God. With God on my side and the power of His word, I can fight Satan.

2. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was in great distress over going to the cross that drops of blood fell to the ground. He asked God three times to take the cup from Him. But with each time, He would say “not My will, but Yours.” Even in His weakness, He was still in submission to God, desiring to do the Father’s will. God did not remove the cup, but God sent an angel to strengthen Him to do the will of the Father. From Jesus’ time in the Garden of Gethsemane, I learned that when I align my will with God’s and I choose His plan for my life, putting aside my own, God will strengthen me. In doing so, this will ultimately bring me the most joy. He is right there to help me through any problems that may surface.

3. Jesus died a painful and humiliating death on the cross. The description of His death is horrible; He was beaten beyond recognition, nails were driven into His wrists and feet. One description says, “When He dropped down with the full weight of His body on the nails that were driven through His wrists it sent excruciating pain up His arms, registering horrific pain in His brain” (Renner 270). As the Son of God, He could have come down from the cross, He could have saved Himself, but He chose to die for our sins so that we would have right standing with our Father in heaven. From Jesus death, I learned that even when I feel weak, I can ultimately overcome any adversity or obstacle that may come in my path. If I look upward to God, and not inward (only focusing on my troubles and myself), and if I remain steadfast and refuse to give up, God will strengthen me. I will be an overcomer like Jesus was through His death and resurrection.

Jesus is our High Priest; He is always there, always by our side. Jesus has already paid the price for us; He has already won the battle. We can do God’s will, and we can always be victorious as long as we stand firm in our faith, stand firm in the word of God, aligning our will to His and proceed to win the victory. Rely on the power of the Holy Spirit living in our hearts: it is a gift from God. The Holy Spirit is there to guide, teach, comfort, and give you Godly strength and power. Stand firm in your faith.

II. PAUL HUMBLES HIMSELF IN CHRIST’S STRENGTH

In 2 Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul continuously praised God in thanksgiving, and boasted about his weakness; he said he was pleased with them. He says his weakness is the result of all the insults, hardships, distresses, persecutions and difficulties: all the things that he encountered in his pursuit of spreading the gospel of Christ. He describes his distresses and problems: He was shipwrecked, beaten, whipped, stoned, put in prison many times, and faced death. Paul didn’t brag about his long list of accomplishments, which would have drawn attention to himself, showing himself worthy to others; he claimed he’d be lying if he did. He recognized that Christ was giving him the strength that he needed to be an overcomer and wholeheartedly submitted to doing the will of God. He was glad to boast about his weaknesses because he recognized the power of God working through him. Paul became an empty vessel for God’s use. Paul said he was strong because God made him strong, something he could never be in his strength. Paul was continuously content in whatever situation he found himself. He said: “Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength” Philippians 4:11-13).

Paul was weakened by a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet (to strike repeatedly) him. Satan didn’t want Paul preaching the gospel; the demonic spirit followed him, causing other people to stir up problems for Paul to keep him from preaching and spreading the gospel effectively. A few Old Testaments scriptures can validate what his thorn was. In the book of Numbers, it says, “But if you fail to drive out the people to live in the land, those who remain will be like splinters in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will harass you in the land where you live” (Numbers 33:55). The people would slander Paul, refuse to listen to the gospel that he preached, argue with Paul about it, or they rejected the gospel. Paul didn’t pray for the beatings, troubles, stonings, insults, or distresses to leave him. But, he asked God three times that the persecution: the thorn in the flesh might leave him. But God didn’t remove it, He said to Paul, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).  God doesn’t stop all persecutions against us, but He gives us grace and strength to overcome them. God desires our change of heart and our conversion. If God had stopped Saul’s persecution, Saul would never have changed his life around to become the Apostle Paul, living for Christ, seeing many lives converted to believe in and follow Christ.  

Learning from Paul’s example from having the thorn in the flesh, as believers, whenever we face persecutions, we are to fight back against the devil using our authority in Christ. We are to use prayer, the word of God, and tell the devil where his place is. We do not have to put up with Satan’s attacks, we are the children of God, we are righteous in Him who has won the victory and we will too. “So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). This scripture means that through our free will that God has given us, we are to submit ourselves to God in obedience humbly. God desires a relationship with everyone, but He never forces one. We are to accept His loving mercy and grace which He has already bestowed upon us. And in doing this, we are to resist the devil. One way we can do this is by being diligent learners of God’s word. We don’t learn God’s word for His benefit, but ours. His word was given to us as a tool. The word has power and using the word against the devil works. God doesn’t delight in our suffering, but Satan does. Jesus has given us the power and authority to fight against the devil. We don’t have to give in to him; we can resist him. Satan can’t rob us of our salvation, but he can rob us of our joy. Stand firm, and watch the devil flee. He has to; Christ has already won the victory against the devil, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead lives within us. Call out to God to help you fight Satan. “For we are not fighting against flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). People are not our enemies; Satan is! Fight him with God’s armor and in God’s strength knowing with full confidence that you are already victorious!

III. PURPOSE FOR OUR WEAKNESS

When we feel weak, if we humble ourselves before God in complete dependence, we learn patience as we rely on Him and His strength so that His power can work through us. As we look upward, trusting in Him only and less on ourselves, we deepen our faith which produces steadfastness. Steadfastness means that in our Christian walk we won’t be easily moved during trials, but we will remember who we are in Christ during the good and bad times and we won’t turn away from Him or His teaching. “So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless” 1 Corinthians 15:58).  Be immovable and enthusiastic for everything that we do for Christ matters. Taken from 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, the purposes for our weaknesses:

“To keep me from being proud” (2 Corinthians 12:7).

Our weakness keeps us from being proud. When we feel weak, we look to God, and when we submit to Him, we are humbled. Paul knew that in his weakness, he was strong in God. God gave Paul His strength to do His will in spreading the gospel. Paul didn’t boast about himself but of God. When we are weak, we are made strong in God who often chooses the weak things of the world to display His power and strength so that nobody will be able to boast. Before Paul’s conversion, he persecuted many Christian believers. But, God sanctified Paul. Through His grace, God changed Paul’s life, and in doing so, Paul who was formerly known as Saul was now doing the Lord’s work in spreading the gospel and converting many to become believers in Christ something that could never have been achieved in his strength; this was the mighty work of God. Many who knew Saul were in disbelief. Paul never boasted about his accomplishments but boasted of the Lord, and many came to know Christ.

“Christ’s power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

In the world, weakness is often considered unfavorable. Our flesh certainly doesn’t like burdening others or having to be dependent on anyone. But to God, our weakness glorifies Him because we are forced to depend on God and He can display His power. God will never give us anything more than we can bear, He does provide a way out, but we must look to Him to help us. He will. He will reach out to us with His loving right hand and pull us out of our mess and up to Him. It may not be in our timing, but His perfect timing. When the Apostle Paul was stoned and left for dead as mentioned in Acts chapter 13, the people gathered around him in prayer. Afterward, in 2 Corinthians chapter 12, Paul describes being caught up in heaven (paradise). But, God wasn’t finished with him, and Paul was delivered from his infliction which he boasts about, and he went on to spread the gospel saving many for Christ.

When I went on a 10-day mission’s trip to Chacalte, Guatemala, I was weakened. We lived amongst the people in their small town. We were lucky that someone moved out and allowed us to stay in their home where we all slept on floor mats. With the many wild dogs barking outside our door all night, I became exhausted and weak. By the third night, after staying awake all night, I asked a leader for prayer. When on a mission’s trip, when one person suffers, the whole team suffers. The entire team got around me to pray. The leader prayed that I would receive the supernatural strength of God and I did. God displayed His power not only to me but through the team when we were in Chacalte, blessing the community, building relationships and doing a mighty work in the small village.

“So that the power of Christ can work through me” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Paul went from being a hated persecutor of Christians to choosing to align his will to God’s. He traveled many miles spreading the gospel and writing many of the books in the New Testament. With all of the sufferings that Paul encountered during his lifetime, Paul survived because God was always with him, working through him, and strengthening him to continue in doing His will: spreading the gospel of Christ. God promises never to leave nor forsake us, and He never left Paul. “This is my command-be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9). Through God’s grace and strength, Paul was strong. He knew that God was with him and he did not allow fear to prevent him from spreading the gospel. Because of Paul many unbelievers changed their hearts and came to know Christ.

“For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10).

When we are faced with a trial, it can bring ugly and ungodly traits out of us like anger, jealousy, fear, unfaithfulness, and complaining. Satan likes it when we have problems and when we act ugly. He enjoys making us feel bad with condemnation. Trials are never the result of any sin that we’ve done, and we are not being punished. We can have full confidence in going to God for help; the power of Christ working through us gives us peace and patience. When we trust in Him only, it deepens our faith in Him, producing steadfastness. When we pray and cry out to Him, He responds. We leave all of our problems at His feet, and we rest in Him and in our perfect faith we believe with all of our heart that He is helping. He is moving obstacles out of the way, lining up the right people and the right situations. He is working behind the scenes. “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing” (James 1:2-4). Have joy every time we go through a trial and give our problems over to God. Nobody likes troubles, but when they come our way, it’s a time to depend on God who will make us stronger in Him. God is developing our character and enabling us to endure for Christ, who also experienced many troubles while He lived on earth, even death. So as long as we are in the will of God, be joyful, for no work for the Lord is ever wasted, it is all good.  In Acts chapter 14, Paul was stoned and left for dead. His disciples gathered around him in prayer. He was healed, and the very next day He departed with Barnabas to Derbe where they preached the gospel, and many came to know Christ. They then traveled to many other cities preaching the gospel and adding to the number of disciples. This could not have been achieved in Paul’s strength, but God’s.

I have friends from high school. The woman has a heart condition that hasn’t been diagnosed and adequately treated. The physician’s, not knowing how to help her, only keep giving her medications. They needed to make a trip to California from Oregon, to see a new physician but they didn’t have the money to get there. Not knowing where the money was going to come from, they started a Gofundme, and within just two days, the trip was completely funded. When they got to the hospital in California, they were not given any real news that would be of help, just a new and additional prescription. This was not the breakthrough they were expecting. They went home discouraged, but faithful. They are faithfully expecting a miracle, knowing that God is the God who restores, provides and heals and that is what He is doing. They are at home still living their lives happy and expecting a healing breakthrough.

When we feel weak, God is our strength. Give Him all of your concerns and choose to rest in Him. There is not a problem that is too big for God. He will hold us up in protection, and He will give us joy in every trial that we face. Let Him meet you where you are. Be strong and courageous in Him.

IV. THE GOD WHO COMFORTS

During His time on earth, Jesus experienced every temptation, trial, and weakness that we do so that He could relate to us. He understands everything that we go through and is sympathetic. Through our trials, temptations, and weaknesses, God comforts us and shows us love. “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). He is merciful and the source of all comfort! Look to Him! He doesn’t always get us out of our situation, but He strengthens us so that we can be overcomers. We can in turn comfort others who are experiencing the same problems that we suffered because we’ve been through them and are understanding and sympathetic.  

We don’t like telling others that we are hurting, exposing a weakness. But what is hidden has control over us. When I went for prayer the night of the worship and prayer night, it was tough to admit the truth to the prayer lady. I told her that I was a Theology student, who probably should have her life together, but there was strife in my home, and I felt as if my husband didn’t like me. But, in confessing what was on my heart, the truth of Satan’s lies came to surface, and I was healed.  We need to have the courage to ask others for help and prayer. When we reveal our weaknesses, people can relate to us and say, “I’ve experienced that too, this is what worked for me.”  People can see God’s strength, and He receives the glory. God comforts us, gives us mercy, and never leaves us so that we will do the same for others.  He is our example of what we should do for others in the Body of Christ. Joyce Meyer was a victim of sexual abuse from her father for many years while she lived at home. God never delivered her out of the problem, but He strengthened her. Joyce now helps women all over the world who have or are going through the same horrible situation.

Don’t turn inward and keep your pain to yourself, but let God in. Turn your eyes to God and let Him in to heal and comfort you through your sufferings. Let other believers in and allow them to see your weakness. Then in relying on the strength of God, allow Him to strengthen you to comfort others.

CONCLUSION

No matter what you’re facing, no matter the weight that you feel has been placed on your shoulders, God is always there. He is there through good and bad times because He loves us and wants to have a relationship with us. When we feel weak because of the trials of life, keep your eyes upward, not inward. Look to Him. Pray to Him in all things, then rest in Him. He will meet you with grace and mercy. When we are hurting, sometimes praise and thanksgiving can feel like a sacrifice, but choose to praise and give thanks to God. Humble yourself before the Lord in submission, and He will meet you wherever you are. Jesus and the Apostle Paul faced trials and felt weakened; they were strengthened by God to do the good works that He set out for them. Seek the Lord’s grace and mercy and His comfort so you can be strengthened to do God’s will for your life, and then be strengthened to do the same for others who are also facing problems. His light is shining down on others through you; He will receive all the glory. His grace is all we need.