HOW TO HAVE JOY IN YOUR STRUGGLES
Pastor Dennis Clanton
Woodland Church
Wednesday, August 9, 2023
(Psalm 86:1–17, NLT) “Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer; answer me, for I need your help. Protect me, for I am devoted to you. Save me, for I serve you and trust you. You are my God. Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I am calling on you constantly. Give me happiness, O Lord, for I give myself to you. O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help. Listen closely to my prayer, O Lord; hear my urgent cry. I will call to you whenever I’m in trouble, and you will answer me. No pagan god is like you, O Lord. None can do what you do! All the nations you made will come and bow before you, Lord; they will praise your holy name. For you are great and perform wonderful deeds. You alone are God. Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor you. With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever, for your love for me is very great. You have rescued me from the depths of death. O God, insolent people rise up against me; a violent gang is trying to kill me. You mean nothing to them. But you, O Lord, are a God of compassion and mercy, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. Look down and have mercy on me. Give your strength to your servant; save me, the son of your servant. Send me a sign of your favor. Then those who hate me will be put to shame, for you, O Lord, help and comfort me.”
1. ARE YOU ABLE TO NAME YOUR STRUGGLE?
(Psalm 86:1, NLT) “I need your help.”
(Psalm 86:14, NLT) “O God, insolent people rise up against me; a violent gang is trying to kill me. You mean nothing to them.”
(Psalm 86:16, NLT) “Look down and have mercy on me. Give your strength to your servant; save me, the son of your servant.”
2. WHERE DO YOU GO FOR COMFORT?
(Psalm 86:11, NLT)“Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor you.”
IS THIS GOING TO BREAK ME AND SEND INTO DARK PLACE OF DESPAIR?
IS THIS GOING TO MAKE INTO THE PERSON GOD WANTS ME TO BE?
3. WHEN I AM STRUGGLING, I WILL KEEP MY EYES ON THE LORD.
(Philippians 1:12, NLT) “I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News.”
What are you living for?
4. MY RESPONSE IS A WITNESS TO UNBELIEVERS.
(Philippians 1:13, NLT) “For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ.”
5. MY RESPONSE ENCOURAGES OTHER BELIEVERS.
(Philippians 1:14, NLT) “Because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message without fear.”
How does God want to use your struggles?
6. TRUST GOD WITH PEOPLE WHO LOVE YOU.
(Philippians 1:15–18, NLT) “It’s true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry. But others preach about Christ with pure motives. They preach because they love me, for they know I have been appointed to defend the Good News. Those others do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely, intending to make my chains more painful to me. But that doesn’t matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice.”
(Philippians 1:28, NLT) “Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself.”
(Philippians 1:29–30, NLT) “For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. We are in this struggle together. You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it.”
Never let a critic steal your joy!
7. JOY’S SECRET DURING A STRUGGLE.
(Philippians 1:18–20, NLT) “I will continue to rejoice. For I know that as you pray for me and the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will lead to my deliverance. For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die.”
(Philippians 1:21, NLT) “For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better.”
GROWTHWORK
1. I HAVE GOD’S PERSPECTIVE.
2. I HAVE PEOPLE PRAYING FOR ME.
3. I HAVE THE HOLY SPIRIT HELPING ME.
4. I HAVE FAITH THAT GOD WILL WORK ALL THINGS, INCLUDING STRUGGLES, FOR GOOD.