Transformative Power of Scripture in Life's Trials

### Bible Study Discussion Guide

#### Bible Reading
1. **Hebrews 4:12** - "For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires."
2. **2 Timothy 3:16-17** - "All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work."
3. **Mark 9:23-24** - "'What do you mean, if I can?' Jesus asked. 'Anything is possible if a person believes.' The father instantly cried out, 'I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!'"

#### Observation Questions
1. What does Hebrews 4:12 say about the nature and power of God's Word?
2. According to 2 Timothy 3:16-17, what are the purposes of Scripture in a believer's life?
3. In Mark 9:23-24, how does Jesus respond to the father's request for help, and what is the father's reaction? [01:02:45]

#### Interpretation Questions
1. How does the description of God's Word in Hebrews 4:12 challenge or comfort you in your current spiritual journey?
2. What does it mean for Scripture to "equip" us for every good work, as stated in 2 Timothy 3:16-17? How might this look in everyday life?
3. Reflecting on Mark 9:23-24, what does the father's statement, "I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief," reveal about the nature of faith and doubt? [01:03:14]

#### Application Questions
1. The sermon mentioned that the Bible convicts us of our sins and equips us for good works. Can you recall a time when reading Scripture convicted you or equipped you for a specific task? How did you respond? [48:53]
2. Psalm 119:105 describes God's Word as a lamp guiding our path. How do you currently seek direction from Scripture in your daily decisions? What changes could you make to rely more on God's Word for guidance? [50:23]
3. The Bible is likened to a mirror in James 1:22-25. How do you ensure that you are not just hearing the Word but also acting on it? Can you share a recent example where you applied a biblical principle in your life? [51:52]
4. The pastor shared his personal crisis of belief when diagnosed with cancer. Have you ever faced a similar crisis of belief? How did it affect your faith, and what role did Scripture play in that experience? [56:36]
5. The sermon emphasized that God's presence is enough, even if He doesn't perform a miracle. How can you cultivate a deeper trust in God's presence during your trials? What practical steps can you take to remind yourself of His promise to be with you? [01:09:08]
6. Reflecting on the father's plea in Mark 9:24, "I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief," identify an area in your life where you struggle with doubt. How can you bring this struggle before God in prayer and seek His help in overcoming it? [01:03:14]
7. The pastor mentioned the importance of encountering God through Scripture. What specific practices can you incorporate into your daily routine to ensure you are not just reading the Bible but truly encountering God through it? [54:57]

Day 1: The Bible Convicts and Equips Us
The Word of God is not just a collection of ancient texts; it is alive and powerful, capable of exposing our innermost thoughts and desires. It convicts us of our sins, showing us where we fall short of God's standards. This conviction is not meant to condemn us but to lead us to repentance and transformation. Additionally, the Bible equips us for every good work, teaching us how to live in alignment with God's will. This dual role of conviction and equipping is essential for our spiritual growth and maturity. By engaging with Scripture, we allow it to shape our character and guide our actions, making us more effective in our service to God and others. [48:53]

Hebrews 4:12 (ESV): "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."

Reflection: What is one area in your life where you feel convicted by God's Word? How can you take a step today to align that area with God's will?


Day 2: Scripture Provides Clear Direction and Joy
God's Word is described as a lamp that guides our path, illuminating the way we should go. This guidance is crucial for navigating the complexities of life, helping us make decisions that are in line with God's will. Moreover, living according to Scripture brings joy, as it helps us avoid the pitfalls of sin and experience the fullness of life that God intends for us. The joy that comes from following God's direction is not dependent on our circumstances but is rooted in the assurance that we are walking in His will. [50:50]

Psalm 119:105 (ESV): "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."

Reflection: Think about a decision you are currently facing. How can you seek God's direction through Scripture to guide your choice?


Day 3: The Bible as a Mirror
James likens the Bible to a mirror that reflects our true selves. It challenges us not just to hear the Word but to act on it, thereby transforming our lives. This reflection helps us see areas where we need to change and align our actions with God's expectations. By looking into the mirror of God's Word, we gain a clearer understanding of who we are and who we are called to be. This process of self-examination and transformation leads to a blessed life, as we become doers of the Word and not just hearers. [51:52]

James 1:22-25 (ESV): "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing."

Reflection: What is one specific action you can take today to live out a truth you have recently learned from the Bible?


Day 4: Facing a Crisis of Belief
Crises often drive us closer to God, forcing us to confront our doubts and deepen our faith. When faced with a diagnosis of cancer, the speaker experienced a crisis of belief, questioning whether God could heal him. This experience taught him that crises are opportunities to draw nearer to God and to rely on His strength. The story of the father in Mark 9, who asked Jesus for help, resonated deeply, illustrating the struggle between belief and unbelief. In times of crisis, we are invited to bring our doubts to God and ask for His help in overcoming them. [56:36]

Mark 9:23-24 (ESV): "And Jesus said to him, 'If you can! All things are possible for one who believes.' Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, 'I believe; help my unbelief!'"

Reflection: Is there a crisis or challenge you are currently facing? How can you bring your doubts and fears to God, asking Him to help you overcome your unbelief?


Day 5: God's Presence is Enough
Even if God doesn't heal us, His promise to walk with us through our trials is sufficient. This realization came through a journey of prayer and fasting, where the speaker learned to trust in God's presence rather than just His miracles. Trusting in God's presence means believing that He is with us in every situation, providing the strength and comfort we need to endure. This trust is foundational for enduring life's challenges, as it shifts our focus from seeking specific outcomes to resting in the assurance of God's constant companionship. [01:09:08]

Isaiah 43:2 (ESV): "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you."

Reflection: How can you practice trusting in God's presence today, regardless of the outcome of your current situation? What steps can you take to remind yourself of His constant companionship?

Well, good morning. Good morning. Welcome to Lake Point. It's a great place to be. And Pastor Scott is away, and he said to make sure to tell you all that he was thinking about you and misses you.

And if you're keeping up with him on Facebook, you're watching his journey. We're vicariously taking a trip that he's always wanted to take to Colorado. And so I'm vested with him and enjoying the trip. It's costing me less money than it is him, so I'm okay with that.

But we're just glad that you're here today. And as Pastor Tom said, just some random Sunday in July. But the Lord knew you were going to be here. And the Lord knew that what was going to be talked about was something that would encourage you and challenge you.

So, this morning, I'm excited to be able to kick off this new series. And this series is about a verse that changed my life. And usually when a person preaches or speaks, they like to take, it's easier to take a passage and kind of dissect that passage and get the truths out of it. Just wring it out for all the truths that are there and use it to apply it to your life.

And so anytime Pastor Scott asks me to speak, I'm excited to do that. But this time he said, all right, he got us guys together and he said, we're going to have a new series and it's going to be about this verse that changed my life.

And, you know, initially you run to different passages that deeply impacted you. And it's interesting how at different times in your life, maybe a passage that you've read a number of times, it all of a sudden, because of something that is going on, now it speaks to you.

And so your mind runs a couple of things. And he said, but what I want you to do is, he said, I want you to spend a little bit talking about your verse. And then I want you to spend the rest of the time talking about you and how it impacted your life.

So you want me to be vulnerable. Okay. Okay. That's difficult because it's easy to come up here and tell you what God can do, but to share with you, for us to share with you how God has used scripture to impact our hearts and lives deeply, sometimes can be very, very personal and it can be very painful.

And so this morning, when I had confirmation that what I was supposed to speak about in a song that was sung this morning because it's the passage that I'm going to speak on. And I was debating between two different passages. Not this morning. I wasn't, I know which one I'm speaking on. I felt like the Lord was telling me this one.

And then the song that we sang, I'm like, okay, God, I see exactly what you're doing and excited about that. But I wanted to take just a minute at the beginning of our series to kind of lay a little bit of a foundation for you.

Cause I grew up, Pastor Scott wanted us to tell a little bit about us. I grew up as a pastor's kid. And if any other PKs in here, there's a couple. If you've grown up as a pastor's kid, you know, the sometimes the magnifying glass that is on you on everything that you do, especially by people in the church.

And I just, as I thought through this, I just wanted to say to you all, as I've been here and watched, you all are amazing with Pastor Scott's kids and all the pastor's kids, like just the way that you allow them to be normal kids.

Cause I remember when I was in, I think it was third grade. You know, I always carried a Bible to church and I remember that I didn't want anybody else to touch my Bible. And so I put it on the floor. And then as I was sitting in my seat in Sunday school, I put my feet on the Bible so that nobody else would take it.

The Sunday school teacher very quickly began to reprimand me, as the pastor's kid, you should know better for putting your feet on the Bible. Maybe I should have as a third grader. I was just trying to protect the thing so nobody took it, but it was amazing just how all the way through my life that I just felt the microscope of people looking at me, whether they were or not, you just felt that.

And I grew up. My earliest memories were in church. I remember running around the church. I remember crawling under the church pews. I remember falling asleep in church. And my mother with her death grip, I don't know how she learned to do that, but she would reach over and just squeeze the right part of my shoulder and put me into shock and my eyes opened instantly.

And I was aware of what was going on and where I was all of a sudden. I remember late nights at church, my parents decorating. I remember early mornings. I remember Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night going to church. Church was my life.

And I always had a Bible that I carried with me and I still have the Bible that I had when I was a kid, the Bible that I got when I graduated from high school, the Bible I got when I graduated from college. I have those Bibles and in them, some people, they don't mark in their Bibles. I mark my Bibles up. I mean, they are, if you see the Bible that I just got done, this is my new one for this year, starting a couple of months ago, I begin to mark through my Bibles and they're just, pages are folded and marked up.

And eventually I get to the point where I can't, there's no more space. And so I have to get a new Bible to begin writing in it. And the Bible just means so much to me. And technology is good and I'm not against technology, but I just think that there's something about taking a paper Bible and opening it up and being able to go through and say, I know where the book of Ezra is. I know where the book of Nehemiah is. I know where these books are and to be able to sit and just read and allow the word of God to penetrate our heart.

And I know we can do that on our phones and I'm not against it. I'm just saying that there's just something about for me having a paper Bible that I can sit and I can read and I can study and I can go back to, and I can see the notes that I've written.

When my kids graduated from high school, their senior year, I bought them a Bible and their whole year of high school, senior year of high school, I journaled in a Bible directly for them. And so as I would read scripture, I would write notes to my oldest, Juliana, and I would say, Juliana, this truth is something that I know that God would use in your life.

And I'd underline and I highlight and then at their graduation, I gave them that Bible and they still have those and just a way for me to impact them just through my reading of God's word.

But I thought this morning as we began, what are some things that the Bible is supposed to do for us? So as we talk about a verse that changed my life, there may be some sitting in here going, you know, I don't even read the Bible. That's okay. You can start. Like there's a way that you can start reading scripture.

And where do I begin? Some people like, I guess I just start like any other book. I start reading at the beginning in Genesis. You can do that. There's ways that you can read the Bible chronologically. You can read the Bible in Old Testament and the New Testament or New Testament first and then Old Testament.

But the whole thing, the whole Bible is valuable and important for you to read and to understand. It's not just, well, we live in the New Testament age. So it's the New Testament that I need to read and understand. No, the New Testament is important. Yes, absolutely. It talks about Jesus, but so does the Old Testament.

I can take the Old Testament. I can lead somebody to Christ and show them Jesus through the Old Testament as well as through the New Testament. So it's not that I need one or the other. I need both of them and I need the word of God to permeate my heart and teach me to be who I need to be.

And so as we begin here, I'm just going to move through these things pretty quickly. But I want to just lay this foundation of what the word of God does for us. So you may say, you know, I'd really like to read the word of God, but what can I expect it to do?

Number one, it convicts us. It convicts us. When we read the Bible, it convicts me of the things that I should be doing or the things that I should stop doing. So I read scripture and I see where God says that I'm supposed to live a certain way. I'm supposed to treat people a certain way. I'm supposed to act a certain way as a believer.

Then that convicts me of, I need to make sure that I'm doing that. And we see in Hebrews chapter four, verse number 12, it says, for the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword cutting between the soul and the spirit, between the joint and the marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.

When I read scripture, it rips me apart and says, all right, you can put on a cover. You can put on a mask for everybody else, but you can't do that for God. God's going to rip that open. He's going to point out the things that you're like, man, I was keeping that hidden from anybody. I didn't want anybody to know, but God says, I already know. And he begins to point that out. It convicts us.

Number two, it equips us. It equips us. Second Timothy chapter three, verses 16 and 17, it says, all scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

How do you go to work and you face that person that is always negative towards you? This right here. This teaches you how to have grace. It equips me to be able to face those things. What do I do when my child is testing me? You go to the word of God and you say, God, give me truth that I can use to get through to my child. The word of God, it equips us.

Number three, it gives clear direction. It gives clear direction. Psalm 119, verse 105, it says, your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. His word is there to illuminate the way I'm supposed to go. What am I supposed to do today? I go to God's word. I start there and it shows me what I'm supposed to do.

Number four, it gives us joy. Psalm 119, verse 11, it says, I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. There's nothing that steals your joy quicker than doing something that goes against what God wants me to live. Whether that's against my wife, whether that's against my children, whether that's against my boss, whether that's against my neighbor, man, that conviction is there that that word of God comes in and it tells me that I'm supposed to do. It tells me how I'm supposed to live.

And number five, it's a mirror. It's a mirror. James 1, 22 and 25 says, but don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don't obey, it's like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.

But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. It is a mirror.

So these things, and there's so many more. This is just a snippet of what the word of God does when we immerse ourselves in scripture. And I know that sometimes you say, well, I'm not a reader. You don't have to sit down and you don't have to read three chapters a day in order to be right with God.

There's people that read through the entire Bible in a year. And some people, you may think, boy, that's what I want to do. And you start and it's 10 chapters a day and you're like Psalm 119. If you know, that's the longest chapter in the Bible. You're like, I got to read Psalm 119 and nine other chapters. How am I going to do that?

And then you just get behind and you're like, man, I just can't keep up. God does not want you to keep up. God just wants you to spend time with him. The other day, yesterday, my wife and I just went out and we enjoyed the day. And she asked me, she said, are you going to talk about me tomorrow? I said, well, just one thing. Now there's two because it just came to my mind.

She says to me, she said, we were talking and she said, you don't tell me I'm pretty enough. And she wasn't complaining. We were talking about some other things. And so I told her, I said, you're pretty. And she's like, now you're just saying it. So all day yesterday, randomly, I'm like, you're so pretty. And by the end of the day, she was like, just stop. All right, just stop.

Because she knows that I was not doing it out of the genuineness of my heart. I was doing it because she said, I want you to tell me I'm pretty. So I said, you're pretty. You know, God does not demand that we sit and read 10 chapters of the Bible a day. If you read one verse and that verse pierces your heart and you dwell on it, and you dwell on that verse all day long, then you are spending time with God.

If it takes two chapters, then you read two chapters. If it takes a song and a chapter, if it takes a song and a verse, if it takes walking out in the woods and rehearsing a verse that you've memorized, it's spending time with God. God wants you to spend time with Him.

You see, the purpose of reading Scripture is to have an encounter with God. The reason that we read the Word of God is to have an encounter with Him. And when we encounter God, something happens. We realize just how much He is with us. We realize just how much He is with us and we realize the point of the problem that we're facing is to drive us to Jesus.

The point of the problem is to drive us to Jesus. The reason that we're frustrated with something, we're angry with something, we're dealing with something, and we go to the Word of God is that God put that in our life to drive us to Him.

And this is where we get to the verse that impacted my life. I've known these verses. I've known these stories that we read in Scripture. But the problem is that oftentimes the stories we read in Scripture are nothing more than just stories. We don't allow the truths of the stories to deeply impact our hearts and our lives and to change us and to change how we think.

But there is a time where we have a crisis of belief. Every person in here is going to come to a point in their life, if you haven't already, where something you believe and something you are experiencing come face to face.

And that crisis of belief is where people often say, well, if God's going to treat me that way, then I don't want anything to do with it. And what you read in Scripture is that God does not do those things to us. God allows those things in our life to drive us to Him.

But what we tend to do oftentimes is when we are confronted with this crisis of belief is to run away from who God says He is and to run away from God. That day for me was October 17th of last year. A crisis of belief.

And I know that many times that you come in and you hear whoever is speaking and you must think, boy, they don't have any problems. If they had the problems that I have, then their life, they would be different. They would understand why I'm so angry with God. They would understand why I'm running from God. They would understand why God is no longer important in my life if they truly knew.

But what you have to understand is that we are just you except God called us to stand up here and to speak His truths. And our lives are just like your lives. And October 17th was the day that my crisis of belief happened.

You see, October 17th, I sat in a doctor's office and he said to me, you have cancer. And I said, what? He said, you have cancer. There is nothing. And since then, God has just really begun to do some things in my life where I've said, man, the things that I have as a minister have said to people that have gone through a difficult diagnosis, that have gone through a problem, a challenge, just seem to be dull.

Like those words of encouragement just seem to not ring true in my heart. And people would say, and I have to apologize first because, and I'm just trying to be very real with you this morning. Just very real. I did not want to get up here on October 17th or 20th, whatever that Sunday was, and say, hey everybody, this is the diagnosis I got. Would you pray for me?

Because oftentimes, in my mind, I said, you all don't get a platform that you get to speak from. But somebody here in our congregation said something very important to me. They said, you know what? God has given you a platform. Use it to encourage other people.

And so I'm using the platform that I have to encourage you. But October 17th, the doctor came in the office. He sat beside me, put his foot up on the counter, and he said, well, it's cancer. And I said, okay. He said, what? I said, what do I do?

And in my mind, I'm reeling. If you've ever been diagnosed with anything major, you know that reeling that all of a sudden you were on calm water and all of a sudden your life just starts going crazy. And the first thing that ran through my head, and I'm just being honest, was I've got to go home and start planning for my funeral. That was the first thought.

And I had to begin to walk back from that ledge that I was on. That's what I was standing on. And I began to try to deal with it in my head, and I knew that I had to go home and I had to tell my wife. This was the point I told her that I was going to say about her.

I went home and I told her, and she said, this isn't supposed to happen to us. Now, the reason that we were aligned on that was because I had given my life to God. At 16, God called me to preach. Full-time ministry, vocational ministry, God called me. I've given everything, everything to Him. Why would He do this to me?

And I realized He wasn't doing it to me. He was trying to draw me closer. And if you turn in your Bibles to Mark chapter number 9, this is the passage that I began to go to, and I've known this story all of my life. But I went to Mark chapter 9, and if you hold your place there, Matthew chapter 17 is the same story.

Because you know in the Gospel, sometimes the stories are in two different, in multiple Gospels. Matthew 17 has the same story. And in Matthew chapter 17, it says that the father of this boy knelt at the feet of Jesus. This thing that this father was dealing with, that this boy was dealing with, caused them to go to Jesus.

He had a choice. He could either go to Jesus or he could run from Jesus. He chose to go to Jesus. In our lives, when we go through difficulty and challenge and problems, we need to run to Jesus.

In Mark chapter number 9, starting in verse number 22, it says, So Jesus told all the people to sit down, I'm sorry, wrong one, verse 21. How long has this been happening? Jesus asked the boy's father. He replied, Since he was a little boy. The spirit often throws him into the fire, into the water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us. This is the father. Have mercy on us and help us if you can.

You ever been in a spot where you question if God can help us? Because the reality is, if I were to say today, how many of you believe that God can do anything? Raise your hand. But in reality, when the diagnosis of cancer comes, do we believe that God can do anything?

And this father, he came to Jesus. He said, Can you do anything if you can help us? And Jesus responded, What do you mean, if I can? Which is Jesus' response to us every time we go to him with a problem. God, can you help me with this? If you can. And Jesus is like, What do you mean, if I can? You know that I can. You know that I'm able.

And he says to the father, What do you mean, if I can? Jesus asked. Anything is possible if a person believes. The father instantly cried out, I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief. And again, that's where I found myself, is that I believe. If you ask me, Do you believe God can heal? Absolutely, 100%. Do you believe God can heal you? I don't know. I believe so.

All my life, I've believed this. But now, all of a sudden, my crisis of belief confronted my problem. Do I believe that God can heal me? I do not. I am not one of those that subscribe to health and wellness gospel, prosperity gospel. When you get saved, your life just gets better.

I believe, oftentimes, when you get saved, your life, all of a sudden, problems start hitting your life, driving us closer to Jesus. But I had to come to grips in my heart, do I believe God can heal people? And I said, yes, I do believe.

And this is where, I'm getting down to my verse. Verse 25, When Jesus saw the crowd of onlookers was growing, he rebuked the evil spirit. Listen, you spirit that makes this boy unable to hear and speak, he said, I command you to come out of this child and never enter him again.

Then the spirit screamed and threw the boy into another violent convulsion and left him. The boy appeared to be dead. A murmur ran through the crowd as the people said, he's dead, but Jesus took him by the hand and helped him to his feet and he stood up.

Afterward, when Jesus was alone in the house with his disciples, they asked him, why couldn't we cast out that evil spirit? And Jesus replied, this kind can be cast out only by prayer. And some versions say fasting, by prayer and fasting.

October 17th, I was diagnosed with cancer. Being here at the church, I understood that and knew that Pastor Scott was planning in January to have our 21 days of prayer and fasting. The doctor prescribed me an MRI. I said, I'm not doing my MRI till after our 21 days of prayer and fasting because I believe that God can heal me.

But I also felt like the children of Israel that we're going to have are going to be cast into the burning furnace, the fiery furnace, and said, but if God doesn't heal me, I still know that he could have. I'm going to rest in the fact that there are some things that only by prayer and fasting can God do.

So for 21 days, our family prayed, we fasted, and I believe that the New Testament tells us that if there's someone who is sick, that they call the elders and have the elders anoint them with oil and pray over them for God to bring healing.

So February 11th, that was the end of our fast. That was Sunday, February 11th, the end of our fast. I asked Pastor Scott, I said, on that day, can we bring in the elders and anoint me with oil? So he brought me in and the elders prayed over me and on February 12th, I had my MRI and they said that they were going to be able to determine exactly where it was and so they did the MRI on the 12th.

On the 14th, I went in for my doctor's appointment and the doctor came in and he said, well, he said, your biopsy and your MRI don't match. He said, I don't see any cancer in the MRI. And my wife said, this is number three, my wife said, can you say that again? He said, yeah, there's no cancer in the MRI.

And I said, so what do I do? He said, nothing. Now they are still treating me, I'm still going to the doctor every three months because in October, the biopsy, but they said, there's nothing, there's nothing you have to do.

And that caused a lot of excitement on one hand, but Pastor Scott has a doctor who has a, I think, nine, 10-year-old son that is in the University of Michigan Hospital with cancer. And I said, God, why would you heal me and not that boy? Because that boy has a whole lot more life left ahead of them than I do.

And you wrestle with these things after God does something miraculous in your life. And I didn't share this story with a lot of you, not because I didn't want you to know. I wanted prayer. I wanted the encouragement. But I felt like today was the day that God said, you know what? Share the truth.

And this is something that I had to come to grips with in my life. God said to me, if I don't heal you, but just walk with you, is that enough? If I don't heal you, but I just walk with you through this, is that enough?

And I had to come to the point where I said, God, I don't know if you're going to heal me, but if you promise to be with me through this, then that's enough. And I don't believe, as I read through scripture, God did not heal everybody. God walked to the pool of Shalom, went to one man that was lame, healed that man, and everybody else stayed sick.

Why does God choose to heal the people he does? I don't know. I could go to the doctor next week and the doctor tell me, you have cancer. But I know that God healed me this time to encourage somebody here today that you're wondering, God, are you going to do anything with this?

God, are you going to heal this thing that I've been praying for all of my life? God, are you going to win that brother or sister or mom or dad? Are you going to allow them to come to a saving knowledge of you? God, are you going to heal that relationship that we've been praying about?

God, are you going to do that thing that we have been begging you to do? I just want to ask you this morning, if God doesn't heal that, if God doesn't fix that, but he promises to be with you through that, is that enough for you?

Because he never promised to heal us, but he did promise you that he would never leave you and he would never forsake you. So this morning, I encountered God through Mark chapter 9, verse 29. This kind can be cast out only by prayer.

Whatever you're praying for this morning, whatever you're asking God to do, don't give up. Don't stop. Don't quit. God promises to walk with you through it. He promises to be there with you through the situation, in the situation, with you on the situation.

And sometimes God steps in and he heals people around us and he works miracles in people's lives and he does things that we can't understand. But just because he does that for one doesn't mean he's going to do that for all.

And God, I do not believe, chose me because I'm special. I think just like the man at the pool and just like the boy here with the spirit, God stepped in to reveal himself as powerful, as mighty, as there is no mountain too big that he cannot move. Nothing he can't do. He can do it for you.

So this morning, I just challenge you, allow God to walk with you through your situations and to be with you and to say, God, you are enough. You are enough.

Let's pray. Father, I thank you and praise you for who you are, for how you work, for your spirit that moves in hearts and lives. And Father, I would pray that if there's one here this morning that does not know you as Savior, that this morning that they would realize that life is just too difficult to get through alone. They need a Savior.

And Jesus Christ is the one who gave his life for you and for me, that we might spend eternity with our Father in heaven. And Lord, we pray that you would just use this word this morning to encourage our hearts and to challenge us to live a life that honors and glorifies you. And we pray these things in Jesus' name.

### Quotes for Outreach

1. "The purpose of reading Scripture is to have an encounter with God. The reason that we read the Word of God is to have an encounter with Him. And when we encounter God, something happens. We realize just how much He is with us. We realize just how much He is with us and we realize the point of the problem that we're facing is to drive us to Jesus." [54:21] (27 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




2. "God does not demand that we sit and read 10 chapters of the Bible a day. If you read one verse and that verse pierces your heart and you dwell on it, and you dwell on that verse all day long, then you are spending time with God. If it takes two chapters, then you read two chapters. If it takes a song and a chapter, if it takes a song and a verse, if it takes walking out in the woods and rehearsing a verse that you've memorized, it's spending time with God." [53:51] (40 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




3. "God, are you going to do that thing that we have been begging you to do? I just want to ask you this morning, if God doesn't heal that, if God doesn't fix that, but he promises to be with you through that, is that enough for you? Because he never promised to heal us, but he did promise you that he would never leave you and he would never forsake you." [01:10:59] (42 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




4. "Allow God to walk with you through your situations and to be with you and to say, God, you are enough. You are enough." [01:12:28] (12 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




### Quotes for Members

1. "When we read the Bible, it convicts me of the things that I should be doing or the things that I should stop doing. So I read scripture and I see where God says that I'm supposed to live a certain way. I'm supposed to treat people a certain way. I'm supposed to, I'm supposed to act a certain way as a believer. Then that convicts me of, I need to make sure that I'm doing that." [48:53] (22 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




2. "The reason that we were aligned on that was because I had given my life to God. At 16, God called me to preach. Full-time ministry, vocational ministry, God called me. I've given everything, everything to Him. Why would He do this to me? And I realized He wasn't doing it to me. He was trying to draw me closer." [01:00:01] (25 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




3. "I believe, oftentimes, when you get saved, your life, all of a sudden, problems start hitting your life, driving us closer to Jesus. But I had to come to grips in my heart, do I believe God can heal people? And I said, yes. I do believe." [01:04:16] (19 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




4. "God said to me, if I don't heal you, but just walk with you, is that enough? If I don't heal you, but I just walk with you through this, is that enough? And I had to come to the point where I said, God, I don't know if you're going to heal me, but if you promise to be with me through this, then that's enough." [01:09:08] (35 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




5. "I think just like the man at the pool, and just like the boy here with the spirit, God stepped in to reveal himself as powerful, as mighty, as there is no mountain too big that he cannot move. Nothing he can't do. He can do it for you." [01:12:28] (24 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)