Trouble it's the gateway to discovering the power of God listen God himself cannot deliver
the man or the woman who is not in trouble God cannot show you his power until you get in real
trouble how can you know God is a healer without having been in a battle with sickness or disease
how can you know that God is a provider without ever having been in need
how can you know that God is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother
without having been lonely or rejected or cast aside by those who said they loved you how can
you know that God is the healer of broken hearts without sobbing in some personal Gethsemane
when God seems so silent the night seems so long and so hopelessly dark how can you know God is a
deliverer unless you have some time in your life lived in chains of captivity you were haunted by a
weakness or a habit that enslaved you a habit that embarrassed you something that robbed you of your
dignity and destroyed your good name how can you know God is a deliverer until you have seen him
come to your resistance and raise up a barrier against those who were accusing you and crush
the opposition trying to destroy you that's the kind of God you serve
I repeat are you in trouble that's wonderful it's absolutely thrilling you're in a beautiful
position to discover the God of the bible you can discover the power of God because he's the God
who answers prayer you can discover that the God that heals the brokenhearted and heals the sick
and restores shattered dreams you will discover in the day of trouble a God that will lead you and
comfort you and be the shepherd through the valley of the shadow of death he is the God who gives
you victory over your enemies let me tell you something when you really start to do something
that counts for God the devil will line up his troops to knock you off and on the other side
of the line of scrimmage swiftly will come the Lord of hosts and all of his delegated force and
he will scatter your enemies like the straw of the summer threshing floor let me tell you I know that
to be true I would not be alive if it were not for the fact that we serve an almighty all-sufficient
prayer answering God when you get in trouble you will discover the God that comes to your rescue
you will discover joy that is unspeakable and full of glory you will discover the God that gives you
hope the God who gives you the hope that is the anchor of your soul who opens the gates of heaven
to the righteous you will discover him only when you come into great trouble hear this when the
three Hebrew children were in the fiery furnace they called upon the Lord and the fourth man
appeared in the flames when you get in trouble God does not send someone he shows up himself
we hate trouble we run from it we complain about trouble but trouble has made you what you are
Wendell Willkie said and I quote what a man needs to get ahead in life is a powerful
enemy end quote our antagonist is our helper it strengthens our muscle it sharpens our wits
our antagonist develops our skill it transforms your spaghetti spine into steel what does that
t-r-o-u-b-l-e trouble Dr. Marie Ray a psychiatrist of national renown made a study of the great lives
and personalities of America to see if there was a common denominator in their success
and she said it was and I quote it was trouble in the form of a handicap
Dr. Ray's conclusion no one succeeds who has not been driven by trouble to achieve their very best
do you know the difference between a priceless diamond and a lump of
coal a diamond is a lump of coal that made good under pressure the trouble it endured
made it valuable you need to write that down somewhere the trouble it endured made it valuable
Saint Paul wrote in ll Corinthians 4 8 9 we are troubled on every side trouble is coming
north south east and west from Christians and non-christians but we're not distressed
we're perplexed but we're not in despair we're persecuted but we're not forsaken we have been
cast down but we're not destroyed we've got big trouble he says but we serve a bigger God
than all the trouble of the world and we are victorious in the name that's above every name
remember that God permits trouble to develop you
trouble is resistance without the resistance of air a bird can't fly
without the resistance of water a massive ship cannot float
without the resistance of gravity you can't walk trouble is the womb of greatness
trouble is the womb of greatness and God is shaping you to reach your destiny
remember that God will not place a greater burden on you than you are able to bear first Corinthians
10 13 says God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tested above what you are able to bear
Psalms 46 and verse 1 God is is not going to be he is our refuge and a strength
refuge is a shelter he shelters us it's a safe harbor is one of the Hebrew ideas the ship is in a
a storm it finds a safe harbor God is our our safe harbor a very present help
in trouble therefore we will not fear God is a safe place to hide ready to help when we need him
we stand fearless at the cliff edge of doom courageous in sea storms and earthquakes I believe
we can stand fearless and courageous because we know that God has us in his hands we can trust him
and our confidence can be in him he is not a distant God he is present
and you're never alone he's as close the scripture says as your next breath
he will never leave you he will never forsake you you're never alone you're not alone today
I know sometimes we get scattered and and the isolation is there but we are not to fear
and we're to understand the promise of the living God you're not alone I'm with you God is with us
God promises in the time of trouble I'm ever present with you know that
know it know it know it think about it in the time of trouble I'm ever present with you and I'm going
to be your escort and guide you through and and if needed I'll hold your hand and I'll lead you
some things won't add up till you add me in add me to the difficulty add me to the crisis
and I'll add what you may lack I'll prove to be more than enough count me in I'm counting God
into my life your life our lives I'm counting on him and you can count on him
he who formed you says fear not for I have redeemed you
I have called you by your name your mine when you pass through the waters I will be with you
and through the rivers they shall not overflow you when you walk through the
fire you shall not be burned nor shall the flame scorch you he says I know your name
he knows your name he knows where you are right now he knows what you're facing
keep calm and pass on through the crisis that's what we're going to do
keep calm I'm with you keep calm I've got my angels all around you they'll guard you
in times like these think about the most profound thing we can know Jesus loves you
and he cares he will never leave you he will never forsake you he'll guide you
through the waters he'll guide you through the floods he'll guide you through the fire
he'll guide you through the financial strain trust him he'll be there to help you
hear him call your name today fear not Jim fear not Susan fear not Carl fear not fear not
Paul I'm with you you're mine you're mine hear him call your name saying I got this trust me