Pray through to your break through

If we want to get through, then we've got to pray through.

  

We need a relationship with Jesus.

  

The only power that we have is the power of our God through prayer.

We have a Holy God with open arms, so we've got to pray. 

We must pray first!

If we don't get this right, we'll spend all our time thinking about our trials. 

In Isaiah chapter 40 starts encouraging.  

If we change the way we think,  

we can change the way we feel.

  

Isaiah 40:27 New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

27 Family of Jacob, why do you complain,
    “The Lord doesn’t notice our condition”?

People of Israel, why do you say,
    “Our God doesn’t pay any attention to our rightful claims”?

Don't we hate it when someone downplays our problem?  

1. The struggle is real.  

Don't we hate it when others don't identify with our struggle?

We're going to go through trials and tough times!

It's a big deal.

We need to get into groups who won't downplay our trials who'll walk through it with us.

We would rather talk about our trial instead of our trophy.  

We can't preach a gospel that is going to be easy.  

We've got to get our eyes off the trial, and we've got to get through it.

  

Isaiah 40:28-31 New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

28 Don’t you know who made everything?

    Haven’t you heard about him?

The Lord is the God who lives forever.

    He created everything on earth.

He won’t become worn out or get tired.

    No one will ever know how great his understanding is. 

29 He gives strength to those who are tired.

    He gives power to those who are weak.

30 Even young people become worn out and get tired.

    Even the best of them trip and fall.

31 But those who trust in the Lord
    will receive new strength.

They will fly as high as eagles.

    They will run and not get tired.

    They will walk and not grow weak.

We're so focused on our pain.  We can't see our trophy.  

The Chinese government is raiding churches, and they are putting cameras in all the churches.

Perspective is everything.  

If we focus on our pain, we can't see our promise.

Don't always talk about your pain.  

We're so used to whining. 

We don't know how to worship. 

We have to have our eyes on something bigger than our problem.  

We have to have something outside of us to give us purpose.

Herod Agrippa had already killed the Apostle James, and had Peter locked up in prison with 12 soldiers.  

Tomorrow Peter was going to die. 

Peter was asleep (Acts 12).

  

Peter had a word from God that He was going to die as an old man, and He was still young.  

Peter had a promise to rest on, so He was sound asleep. 

John 21:18 B -19 A New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

18 What I’m about to tell you (Peter) is true. 

When you were younger, you dressed yourself.

You went wherever you wanted to go. 

But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands. 

Someone else will dress you. 

Someone else will lead you where you do not want to go.” 

19 Jesus said this to point out how Peter would die.   

2. Don't forget what God said.

Hebrews 13:5B New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

“I will never leave you.

    I will never desert you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)

Life is hard.  

We aren't a people without hope. 

The joy of the Lord is our strength.  (Nehemiah 8:10)

Some of you run businesses.  

It involves risk. 

Risk says I'm willing to lose it.  

Faith says I can't lose.  

I live. 

I win.  

I die.  

I win.  

Even if it looks like we've lost in life.

When we pray, God's voice is louder than the enemy who is trying to destroy our purpose.

We get God's attention and Satan's both.

  

2 Corinthians 2:11 New King James Version (NKJV)

 11 lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.

We want to study the Bible to show our selves approved.  

Go to www.youversion.com. 

I don't like big churches.  

God does.

As long as people are on their way to hell, we've got a job to do.  

We've got a calling on our lives.

Nothing on the test is something we haven't seen.  

We have a study guide. 

It's called the Bible.

It contains mock tests.  

We will be tested.  

Our trial isn't something we haven't already seen.  

We can't go to the next level until we pass.

God is not trying to kill us.  

He's trying to inspire us.  

If God wanted us dead, we'd be dead. 

We must be careful of the voices that we allow in our head. 

Whoever's voice we listen to will dictate our destiny.  

Let's be careful of who we listen to and watch.  

Who has our ear the majority of the time? 

Let's just listen to worship music to fully understand the magnitude of our God.  

Our task is too big to do otherwise.  

Let's quit fighting other Christians in other churches.  

We're on the same team.

Our eyes must not be focused on the wrong things. 

We are connected to the trial whether we want to be or not.  

The power of God is like an iceberg.  

It's bigger beneath the surface.  

Our God is so much bigger than our problem.

He could show us more, but we couldn't handle it. 

It's not about our effort or works.  

We've got to release our pain.  

It begins with our worship. 

We want zero credit for God's work. 

Let's stop trying to do it on our own.  

We are always greater than me. 

Matthew 7:11 New International Reader's Version (NIRV) Jesus speaking...

11 Even though you are evil, you know how to give good gifts to your children. 

How much more will your Father who is in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Jesus, I draw a line in the sand, and I trust my pain and my purpose to you.  

Jesus you are the Messiah.  

I believe that you died and rose for me.  

I'm trusting my life to you.  

I worship you as my Lord and Savior.  

Notes taken from Jeremy Foster, Hope City Church, Metro Houston    https://hopecity.com/sermons/trials-trophies-part-2/

The Why to your Way

You will always have challenges in your life.  

God won't give you a life that makes Him irrelevant.  

What do you do when you don't know how this trial arrived? 

James 1:2-4 Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

2 Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, 

3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 

4 And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.

Without trials of many kinds, I can't be mature and complete.  We struggle because we don't understand the principle of maturity.

God specializes in crock pot maturity.

James 1:2-4 The Message (MSG)

2-4 Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. 

You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. 

So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. 

Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.

A trial is a selfie of who you really are. God is interested in the real you.  God uses the trial to train you.  Are you not who you thought you were?

A faith that can't be tested can't be trusted.  Can God trust you with trouble?  God uses pain to discipline you to make you a disciple.  Everybody makes a decision whether you're going to give up or go all in.  

At some point you have to go all in, or you have to give up.  I can make it through anything if I can find purpose in my pain. God uses it to draw you all in.  

What is that underlining thing that you're life is built upon?   You have to find your why or the who and the what won't matter.  

You need to find the reason that you do what you do.   

80% of believers don't know what their purpose is.  No wonder we're not reaching the world.  If you lose your why, you lose your way.  

Matthew 13:44-46 (CSB)

44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, buried in a field, that a man found and reburied. 

Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field.

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls.

46 When he found one priceless pearl, he went and sold everything he had and bought it.

Salvation is free, but the purpose of your life will cost you something.  My purpose is to live for the glory of God, and expand His kingdom. 

Luke 24:21 Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

21 (Two of Jesus's disciples talking to Jesus after His resurrection.  They didn't recognize Him.) 

But we were hoping that he (Jesus) was the one who was about to redeem Israel. Besides all this, it’s the third day since these things happened.

What you talk about determine your direction.  When did you go back home and left your dreams behind?  What made you quit?  Jesus will find you after you've walked away.  

Luke 24:33-35 Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

33 That very hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem. They found the Eleven and those with them gathered together, 

34 who said, “The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!” 

35 Then they began to describe what had happened on the road and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Some of us quit in the promise.  Jesus will reveal Himself in broken places.  We are addicted to blessings, but we must go through brokenness. 

Brokenness = embarrassment. 

The problem is that we want multiplication without subtraction.  For Bread to benefit anyone, it has to be broken. We need to embrace brokenness. What's causing you to reject this idea of brokenness?

Break the pride in you to discover your purpose.  God will not despise a broken heart. God has called you to something greater than what you're going through.  

Just do in the dark what you did in the light.  God has a purpose for you on the other side of the pain.

Jesus, I'm broken and I need you.  I'm giving to you the pieces.  I'm giving to you my whole life.  Be my Lord and Savior.  

Notes taken from Jeremy Foster, Hope City Church.    

https://hopecity.com/sermons/trials-trophies-part-5/