https://www.churchofthehighlands.com/media/message/no-pain-no-gain
God moves powerfully in our pain. Our response to our pain defines us.
God moves powerfully in our pain. Our response to our pain defines us.
Psalm 34:18 (NLT)
18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted;
he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.
he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.
In pain, we see the bigness of God. When something is
happening to me, God wants to do something in me. If you are having
pain, God is getting close.
Isaiah 6:5 (NLT)
5 Then
I (Isaiah) said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have
filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the
King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”
When you see how big God is, you see how small you are.
When we see God clearly, we see ourselves clearly. Condemnation just
shames us for what we've done. Conviction shows us how we can
change.
Isaiah 6:6-8 (NLT)
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he
had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. 7 He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched
your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.”
8 Then
I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who
will go for us?”
I said, “Here I am. Send me.”
When we see ourselves clearly, we'll see our future
clearly. What we are going through redefines our purpose.
Life is not about pleasure but meaning. Meaning is what gives us
pleasure. We must work on something that matters. We must find
meaning beyond our suffering.
Genesis 50:20 (NLT)
20 You
(my brothers) intended to harm me (by selling me, Joseph, as a slave), but God
intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the
lives of many people (God promoted Joseph from being a slave to prevent the
starvation of Joseph's family in Egypt).
Romans 8:28 (NLT)
28 And we know that God causes everything to work together[a] for
the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
My pain is
either a jail that prisons me, or a school that empowers me.
1. Stop running
from God, but run to God.
God never said
that bad things would never happen to us, but that He would deliver us from
it.
Isaiah
55:6 (NLT)
6 Seek the Lord while you can find him.
Call on him now while he is near.
Call on him now while he is near.
Jeremiah
29:13 (NLT)
13 If you look for me (God) wholeheartedly, you will find me.
2. Take steps to grow.
1 Peter 2:2-3 (NLT)
2 Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so
that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this
nourishment, 3 now
that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.
3. Allow God to
use what we've been through to help others.
Some of us won't
step forward because of what we went through. What you have been through
does not disqualify you, but qualifies you.
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