Skip to content Our Struggles His Strength: Surrender That Transforms Struggles Apr 2 · 29 min ...more
Our Struggles His Strength: Surrender That Transforms Struggles
April 2, 2025 · 29 min
Watch A Significant Life every week in the PrayTV App or on YouTube.PrayTV App: Pray.comYouTube: youtube.com/@asignificantlife
Series A Significant Life April 2, 2025 · 29 min · A Significant Life
Watch A Significant Life every week in the PrayTV App or on YouTube.PrayTV App: Pray.comYouTube: youtube.com/@asignificantlife ...more Show the full description Show less Watch A Significant Life every week in the PrayTV App or on YouTube.PrayTV App: Pray.comYouTube: youtube.com/@asignificantlife
Series A Significant Life Support this leader Liking this video? Support this ministry.
Support this leader
Liking this video? Support this ministry.
Give
Support this leader Liking this video? Support this ministry.
277K followers
Jim Graff is a respected pastor, leader, and author who loves helping people fulfill their unique
potential while finding their significance in Jesus Christ.
277K followers
0:00 America is at a crossroads with decisions to make that will affect generations to come. This reality can feel overwhelming, even unsettling. But when tomorrow appears unclear, our hope lies on focusing on0:11 today. What can we do today to build a faith that stands the test of time? This is the question Jim Graff answers in his new book, Rock Solid Faith. He shows us how to build a lasting faith that will inspire0:23 for generations to come. Reserve your copy of Rock Solid Faith today at a significant life dot com.0:52 Have you ever heard somebody say, child, you need to mind your manners? Can I see your hand if you ever heard that phrase? When I was a kid, I heard that phrase frequently, and you may not have a hard1:03 time figuring out why. But my parents would tell me I needed to mind my manners, I needed to mind my homework, even that I needed to mind my own business from time to time. And what they1:15 were saying is, son, you know, we don't want your manners to cause people to not like you whenever you should be liked because of how kind you are. Or we don't want you to not mind your homework because you're1:27 gonna work a job 1 day that you hate instead of working a job that you love. And we don't want you not to mind your own business because you have this tendency. You can be a bit controlling as a1:39 kid, and we wanna teach you that you don't get close to people by controlling them, but you get close to people by serving them. Now in that spirit, I want us to read Paul's words1:51 because he's really saying that if we want the Holy Spirit to work powerfully in our lives, we need to learn how to mind his presence on the inside. The Bible says in Romans2:02 8 verse 5 that those who live according to the flesh have their mind set on what the flesh desires, but those who live in accordance with the spirit have their mind set on what the spirit2:14 desires. Then notice that he says that the mind that's governed by the flesh is going to experience death, but the mind governed by the Holy Spirit is going to experience life, and it's going2:25 to experience peace. I brought a picture with me this morning, and this is a picture of a wedding present that a bride, Michelle Brooks, gave to her husband, Micah2:37 Brooks, on their wedding day. And I was so shocked when I saw this years ago. In fact, I talked to Tamara on the way home, and I said, man, that sure beats the groom cake that most of us get whenever2:49 we get married. Right? But but last Sunday, I asked them if I could have this picture, and I asked Michelle, what motivated you to give this gift to Micah? And she said, I knew he was3:01 a keeper. And she said, I wanted to get off to a great start right off the bat. Now, obviously, the mindset that we live with is so important. Right? Because experiencing3:12 outcomes requires the the right mindset. When we make choices, there are consequences that are formed by those choices. And God says, I want you to learn to live with the right mindset3:24 because how you live and the mindset you have is gonna determine what the Holy Spirit can make happen in your life. The word mindset's the word froneo, and it means an attitude3:36 that's formed within our mind. So we have attitudes about God. For instance, I know a man who came to our church for a little while, and sadly, he never really got grounded in church. Sadly,3:48 he went through divorce in his life. But he would tell me, I like hearing you talk, he said, but the truth is I like experiencing God in nature. Now, truth be told, I knew him well3:59 enough, and I'll be careful on the story so he doesn't know I'm talking about him. Okay? But I knew him well enough that that that I knew part of the reason he liked bonding with nature instead of bonding with God is4:11 because he didn't like God or anybody else telling him what he should do. And here's what this scripture is gonna call us to. It says in Romans 8 28, in all things, God's gonna work for the4:23 good of those who love him. Now love assumes that there's a very special bond that's forming between 2 people. And God is saying, if I'm gonna work for your good, it's gonna4:34 be because you and I have a special bond, and you began to trust me when I work in your life. And then he says, not just we love him, but we're called according to his4:46 purpose. That means when he asks us to obey him, even though it may not always be what our human flesh would wanna do, we obey God because we trust God. Now this4:58 morning, we're gonna look at how to do that from Paul's words. But first, I wanna read another passage where Paul talks to us about why it's difficult for us to do this in Romans chapter 12.5:10 And he says this, that therefore I urge you brothers and sisters in view of God's mercy to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. And he says, this is5:22 your true and proper worship. Now, Tamara said this often, but a living sacrifice has the ability to get off the altar. Right? And to do its own thing. And that happens to so many of us.5:34 We come to God, but then whenever we hear what it what's required to have a loving relationship with God, when we hear what it means to obey God, if we're not careful, we don't5:46 really, you know, obey God the way that we should. And there are very good reasons for that in the Bible. And those reasons are that as long as we wanna stay in5:57 control of our life, as long as we feel like we know how to handle things better than God, then we're gonna resist God instead of receiving God's presence in our life the way that we6:09 should. So he tells us, you're gonna have to sacrifice sometimes if you're gonna follow God. Then the second thing he says is, and don't conform yourself to the pattern of this world,6:21 but be transformed by renewing your mind. Now when you renew something, what you do is you end up exchanging a thought for another thought. And it's interesting in6:32 Romans 8, says, God wants a whole new mindset to form in the Greek word that's used for a new mindset. But in this verse, God says, I kinda do it 1 thought at a time in your6:44 life. The word used for mind here is a word nous, which means that I I I do it through changing your intellect or through your understanding. But listen to God's promise. He says,6:56 then you'll be able to test and approve what God's will is, that good and pleasing and God's perfect will. The word for good means it's good in every sense. That when we're obeying7:08 God, man, it's good to us, it's good to our spouse, it's good to our kids. The truth is you can just tell that that that life on earth is a whole lot like it is in heaven. That word pleasing means it's7:20 well pleasing and fully pleasing. We feel the pleasure of God in the decisions that we're making. And those who love God are pleased with us because they see us living a more7:32 godly life. And then God says, it'll make things perfect. And that word perfect means that it's completely mature in every way, which means it's not gonna happen overnight, but it's gonna7:44 happen over time as we serve God. Now for people who love nature and they love, you know, the pleasures that God created, but they don't love God all that much, here's what they don't7:55 understand, and that is that the earth is a copy of the heavens. So when we get to heaven, you're not gonna, like, get there and think, I've never lived in a place like this before. It'll be8:06 amazing because sin hasn't affected heaven like it has affected and diminished the beauty of earth. But when you get there, earth has been formed in the copy of heaven.8:18 But you know what'll make heaven so amazing? It's not just how beautiful and perfect it's going to be, but it's gonna be how love is reigning in heaven. And because of the8:30 special bonds that form and the beautiful relationships that we're enjoying, heaven is going to be absolutely amazing. Now for believers, God calls us8:42 to enjoy life on earth the same way we're gonna enjoy it in heaven. How does that happen? Well, it happens because we have special bonds where we're enjoying how blessing happens8:54 in ways that that people who live according to their sinful nature, they don't know how to enjoy life that way. And Paul said there's gonna be 2 challenges to you enjoying life that way. Number 1, it's9:06 just your own choice, that you have to die to selfishness if you're gonna enjoy what it means for the spirit of God to be in control of your life. The second thing he says is culture is gonna challenge9:18 you, and it did this week. Tamara and I are really enjoying the empty nest season of life, I gotta tell you. I I know some of you are coming up on this season of life, and9:30 you kinda dread it because you enjoy having the kids in the home so much. And I'll let you know, weeping does endure for a night, alright? But a shout of joy comes in the morning, and I'm telling you, because you9:41 look and you've got, you know, the ability to date again, and you have money to do stuff the first time that you couldn't date again. But but 1 of the things we do is we have categories of9:53 things that she likes, I like, and 1 thing we like is entertainment. So we watch a movie to strengthen the bond of love as Valentine's Day was coming, and it was a10:05 good movie for the most part. There were 2 young people in their early twenties who were kinda, you know, gonna marry the wrong person because they were valuing the wrong things. And10:17 then they came together, and they married 1 another. And then he got busy in his veterinarian practice, and they were supposed to go to dinner 1 night. And instead of him going10:29 to dinner, he stayed at the practice too long, and there was a storm, and it looked like she died in a car wreck. But she came back from ICU, and he was processing all these10:40 things that he wanted to change in his life to make things better. And it was beautiful because when they came back together, the bond they shared was being stewarded so much better than10:52 it was before the accident. But here's what I hated about the movie, y'all. First of all, the nude scene was awful. And I was trying to fast forward it, but it took me longer to fast forward11:04 it and get to the right spot than it would have been if I just watched the whole scene. How many of you know what I'm talking about? But but I watched it and I thought, hate how the enemy does this. I hate how he offers11:16 enough good to keep people from God's best in their life. And I want I I I wanna write my own movies, or I want some of y'all to write movies 1 day. Because listen, here's what would have been so11:27 beautiful is if they would have shown how the reason that God calls us to 1 man, 1 wife relationship and the sexual intimacy is to create the most beautiful bond that you could11:39 ever experience in your life. And if you go to the hardware store, and if you go get some glue because you wanna bond something, without exception, it's going to say on the instructions that11:51 you have to clean the surface first before you put the glue on the piece of on the object. And marriage is that way. God calls us the 1 man, 1 wife because he doesn't12:03 want anything to mess up the bond that we have as people. Now with that said, if I was making the movie today because there are very few people who live that standard because of the way culture12:15 is. What I would have done was had them talk about how much they wanted to enjoy that, and I would have put in the movie that the blood of Jesus can heal us of everything that ever happened in our12:26 past. Come on somebody. And we can bond anyway because of how the Holy Spirit works in our heart. But culture will mess up your life. If you don't know what you're doing, you're gonna make selfish choices.12:39 You're gonna think you're blessing yourself, and what you're gonna be destroying is the bond between you and the Holy Spirit, and the bond between you and people that will cause your life to be even more pleased than it12:51 would have been. So with that said, let me talk to you about the 3 things, and let's see them from Paul's writings of how to start having God bless us more through our special bond. Because there's 2 kind of13:02 young believers and even older believers who are gonna benefit from this morning. Number 1, maybe you're a believer who has more relationship with the rules of God than you do13:14 relationship with God himself. And let me say this, if I if there were no heaven, if I didn't know the Holy Spirit like I do, I would still obey the laws of the Bible13:26 because God's principles produce the best life that I could possibly live. But with that said, I don't wanna miss out on the love of the Holy Spirit shed abroad in my heart. The second13:38 person this is gonna help is the person who forgiveness comes easy to you because you know God loves you, but you find yourself in a web where you're forgiven over and13:50 over and over again. And God doesn't just want you forgiven, God wants your future blessed because of how his strength is working in your life. So here's how it happens according to the apostle14:01 Paul. Number 1, we choose to please God. We make a choice. Romans 8 7 says that the mind that's governed by the flesh is hostile to God. It doesn't submit to God's law14:13 nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. So Paul tells us that this flesh is gonna be hostile and it's going to seek its own way.14:26 And if you have children or if you have grandchildren, nobody needs to convince you of that. Can I say amen? I mean, we have our grandkids in pretty much every Thursday night. Once a month, Tamara goes14:37 to see her mom in Houston, and I watch all the bloody gory movies at my house by myself on that Thursday night. But when our grandkids come, you know what? I can get my toys out that are14:49 from 19 65, y'all. They got dents in them. They got divots in them. I put them on the floor. And if there's 50 pieces, there's 1 piece that they're gonna fight15:01 over whenever they come to my house. Now, why did they do that? Because of how we're created. We have flesh that's hostile. We have flesh that wants to have our own way,15:13 and we don't understand that if we give into that flesh, what we're gonna destroy is our special bond with God and the special bond with people that God wants us to enjoy. Can you say amen?15:25 This shouldn't be hard to understand because when Paul says, listen, you're you're gonna be hostile to God. What he's saying is God can't be in control of your life. Now listen to another scripture in first15:37 John 3 21. This is John talking about why God answers his prayer, which is our theme this year. Why God's gonna start answering our prayers better. And he says, this is the confidence that15:48 we have in before God, we receive anything we ask from him because we keep his commands and we do what pleases him. So again, do you see the formula? There's a bond16:00 of love that causes me to wanna please God. There's obedience to God that allows him to be in control of my life. And because of that, there's a confidence that God's gonna answer my16:12 prayers because of how the Holy Spirit is now guiding my life. This shouldn't be a shock to any of us because listen, 1 of the things we like in the empty nest stage is what we call cooking16:24 night. And we take any recipe that we've never tried, and we go buy the ingredients. And sometimes we eat it, and sometimes we look at each other like, Lord help us. Right? And so you know,16:35 thank God for Google, where we can have master chefs tell us how to make things just right. But what if I got hostile towards the chef and he gave me the ingredients, but I16:47 didn't respect the ingredients or respect how he told me to bring the ingredients together, then then it's not gonna come out too good. Right? So number 1 is we choose that we're gonna please16:59 God. In Romans 12, he said, we're gonna test and we're gonna approve of his will. So you're gonna have to choose to please God long enough for you to test him, and then you're gonna approve that17:11 God's will is better in your life. Can somebody give me a good amen? Here's the second thing Paul says, and that is then we begin trusting that God will provide. Romans 8 9, he says, you17:22 however are not in the realm of the flesh, but you're in the realm of the spirit. Now, a realm is an area of domain. And so Paul says, what you have to do is you have to make it17:34 your goal to please God so that a special bond starts forming between you and God in your heart. And then you're gonna have to trust God to provide. Now, that doesn't mean that God provides17:46 without leadership. Right? Or we would need the second half of Romans 8 that says, God works for the good when we love him and live called according to his purpose. So there's 1 scripture that shows us so17:58 well how to start strengthening the leadership of God in our life. It's in first Corinthians 1 30, and I want you to listen to it. It says it's because of him that you're in Christ Jesus.18:10 In other words, the reason that you're forgiven today, the reason that you can have fellowship with God and form a special bond with God today is because God the Father tapped Jesus on the18:21 shoulder and he asked him to die for our sins. And Paul said, now, it's because God loves you that you have fellowship with him. It's not because you chose to seek God, it's18:33 because God chose to seek you and he sent his son into the world. And now he said that Jesus needs to become for us wisdom from God. That is our righteousness, our18:45 holiness, and our redemption. Righteousness means that I not only live to please him, but God's right whether I feel like it or not. I'm gonna test and I'm gonna prove18:57 and I'm gonna say, God, you're right whether I think you're right or not. And then holiness means that whenever you do things God's way, you're gonna be set apart to the way that brings19:08 wholeness into your life. You see, it's not that sin doesn't bring pleasure to you. I remember visiting our youth pastor's wife years ago when I was a college pastor, and she had her first child.19:20 And when I got there, I said, well Rachel, what was it like to give birth to a child? She said, oh, Jim, she said, I I never understood why these young people did drugs, but man, when they gave19:32 me drugs, I felt so good. Can you say amen? The problem is whenever you do things selfish, yeah, it'll feel good. You know, adultery might feel good for a a night,19:44 especially if you're struggling in your marriage. But the Bible also says that the person who commits adultery destroys his own soul. See, there's a pain that follows things whenever you think you know what's right and19:56 you do what brings happiness to you in the short term. But listen, it's not as good as the pleasure that God brings to people who seek him. Can you say amen? And he says, it's righteousness, it's20:08 holiness, and then he says, it's redemption. The term redemption means that God restores the worth that was originally designed. So when God redeems,20:20 he rescues us from what sin has done to us. And through the special bond that forms with the Holy Spirit, and through our special obedience to God, what happens is we20:32 go from having a life sin ruined to a life where God has restored the worth of our life. How many of you know that's why the gospel's called good news y'all? Because Jesus loves us enough to do that for20:44 anybody. And this chapter is so beautiful. Now this all sounds so easy to this point, but here's the final point and we're gonna see where the battle comes in, alright? And20:55 that is we not only choose to please him, we not only trust God to provide, but then we begin to fulfill God's purposes in our life. And verse 9 continues, and it says this,21:08 that you, however, not in the realm of the flesh but in the realm of the spirit, if indeed Everybody say, if indeed. If indeed. If indeed the spirit of God lives in you. In other words,21:19 if the Holy Spirit is having his way in your life. And even though this all sounds so good, how many of you know it's hard to live holy, y'all? Come on, be honest. That's why some people don't wanna put their kids in21:31 children's church because you put them in children's church, they come home and become police at the home telling you how you should be living after church on Sunday morning. It's why I didn't wanna do21:43 the will of God when I first got saved. I mean, it was hard to be holy. It was hard to do what he was thinking I should do with my life. I I thought back as I was preparing this sermon to be in a a21:55 19 year old kid driving down the Will Rogers Turnpike, and I was headed to Arizona to rehabilitate my arm. And I wanted to be, you know, somebody who succeeded in the world of athletics, and22:07 my van breaks down on the Will Rogers Turnpike. And I walk up and see this beautiful stadium, and I remember that ORU played Arizona State in the College World Series a year before, and I22:19 thought, man, this is what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna play baseball, and I'm gonna give glory to God with a great baseball career. And I walked on and made the team, but when I'm sitting in bible survey as a22:31 19 year old kid, the Holy Spirit starts forming a special bond with me. And he says, you know what I want you to do? I want you to be a pastor. And I look up to22:43 heaven and I say, God, either you lost your mind or I'm fixing to lose my mind right now. Can you say amen? See, that's what happens. He renews thoughts, and you gotta let him renew that22:54 thought. And then, I remember thinking, God, there's so many guys in this school I would pick ahead of me because I hardly know the Bible and pastors have to know the Bible. And he said, you're23:06 right, you're gonna have to quit baseball so you can start studying the Bible more. Alright? But here's what I want you to do is I want you to pastor a church where the friends you went to school with who didn't get it23:17 learn how God how how they can have a special bond with God, like the special bond I'm gonna form with you. And I knew that's what I was supposed to do with my life. Now, it it didn't happen23:29 overnight, happened over time, wasn't easy. I remember the first time I spoke to a a pretty large crowd, about 1000 people. Was a junior in college, and the chaplain got up23:41 in Vespers, and he said, next week is gonna be our last Vespers before we close the year, and I'm gonna commission you seniors. But before I do, Jim Craft's gonna speak to you for 10 minutes. And I thought,23:53 well, you could've asked me at least. Right? But I and then I thought, man, wish I didn't come tonight. How many of y'all are just being real. Right? And then that week, man, I had diarrhea for 7 days just thinking about24:05 getting up in front of people for 10 minutes. But see, that's where the battle is. Will we please him? Will we trust him to provide? Will we develop a special24:16 bond and obey him so he can bring forth what he's dreaming about in our lives? And some of y'all have heard this story that I thought, God, if you're calling me to preach, I can't have diarrhea for the rest24:28 of my life. You gotta help me. And a picture came into my mind. It was 19 75, Muhammad Ali verse Joe Frazier. Some of y'all remember it. Right?24:40 Frazier wouldn't call him Muhammad Ali, he called him Clay. He was telling him, I don't like you. You're Clay. And and I can still see Frazier putting his head in the in the ice cold water and he's trained and said, woo24:51 wee, that makes me mean. I mean, he was ready. Ali, the dude could talk. Right? He said, I'm gonna float like a butterfly. I'm gonna sting like a bee. I'm gonna knock out Frazier. Right? Isn't that how he talked? And25:02 then he named the fight. He said, it's gonna be the thriller in Manila. Man, as a kid, was so into that fight. And so when I thought25:14 about how am I gonna overcome diarrhea and do the will of God, I said, okay, God. Here's what it's gonna be. A modium behind the podium, but I'm not quitting25:26 until I do the will of God. Amen? It's not always easy to be governed by God. But how many of25:38 you would say this morning, it's worth it because in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who live called according to his purpose. Amen?25:52 I hope all of you enjoyed that message as much as I did. It really is true that bad mindsets, they have to change before bad circumstances do. And we hear the bad in the news constantly, don't26:04 we? It's sad, whether it's the LA fires, the hurricane, devastating life in the southeast, or the plane in the helicopter colliding, killing 67 people. Or maybe it's more personal. Maybe it's26:15 what we hear happen to someone's family, or to someone's career, or even to their health. It's easy to get overwhelmed, but it takes wisdom to live as an overcomer.26:25 That's so true. And the reason we invite people, in a significant life to make our program part of your weekly routine is because mindset's really just the beginning. Them maturing in God's ways is26:37 what changes things. And for me, it was more incredible than I would have ever imagined. You know, the same heart that worries can pray. The same head that's making bad decisions can make decisions that lead to26:49 incredible blessings. Romans 8 makes that pathway so clear for those of us who wanna mature so God can do more in our life. Thank you for being with us,26:58 and thank you for helping us help people all over the world live in their God given significance through your prayers and through your generous giving.27:07 America is at a crossroads with decisions to make that will affect generations to come. This reality can feel overwhelming, even unsettling. But when tomorrow appears unclear, our hope lies on focusing on27:19 today. What can we do today to build a faith that stands the test of time? This is the question Jim Graff answers in his new book, Rock Solid Faith. He shows us how to build a lasting faith that will inspire27:31 for generations to come. Reserve your copy of Rock Solid Faith today at asignificatlife dot com. At asignificatlife dot com,27:43 we have 1 goal, to help you step into your God given significance. 1 way we do this is through pray dot com, where we post weekly podcasts, sermons and more. Download the app today.27:56 We'd love to have you as a part of our online community. Simply subscribe to A Significant Life on YouTube and you'll be able to catch up on past teachings as well as watch extra content from the entire team. You28:08 can follow us on Facebook and Instagram too and on our website, asignificantlife dot com. You can listen to our latest podcasts, sign up for our weekly Step Into Significance devotionals, browse helpful28:19 resources, and let us know how we can pray with you. God bless you.
28:30
The Bond of Peace: Forbearance: His Way or the Highway Jim Graff
Comments No comments yet. Start the conversation.
Comments
Keep it kind. Comments are public.