Skip to content Doing the Right Work: Dealing with Life's Difficulties Oct 21 · 40 min ...more
Doing the Right Work: Dealing with Life's Difficulties
October 21, 2025 · 40 min
John Mark calls believers to embrace trials as stepping stones to maturity, remembering that "when trials come up, God comes down, and we grow up."
Series "Men's Breakfast" with John Mark Caton October 21, 2025 · 40 min · "Men's Breakfast" with John Mark Caton
John Mark calls believers to embrace trials as stepping stones to maturity, remembering that "when trials come up, God comes down, and we grow up." ...more Show the full description Show less John Mark calls believers to embrace trials as stepping stones to maturity, remembering that "when trials come up, God comes down, and we grow up."
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John Mark is the Senior Pastor of the thriving Cottonwood Creek Church in Allen, Texas, where he has served since 1995.
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Facing Trials with Joy and Perseverance 0:02 Welcome to Men's Breakfast with John Mark Keaton. Join us as John Mark shares his insights with other men in his ministry rooted in the timeless truths of the gospel. Today's message will encourage you to0:14 inspire, inform, and invest in the lives of others. This is men's breakfast with your host, John Mark Caton.0:22 Man, hopefully, y'all are doing well. Hopefully, you got to meet somebody. Welcome to all you guys on Zoom and,0:34 grab your copy of God's word. Go back to James chapter 1. Always wanna let you know, I wanna encourage you with this guys. If you, if you haven't, tapped into our0:46 men's bible study, texting feature, if you'll just text the word study, s t u d y, to 7 7 9 7 8. Text the word study to 7 7 90:57 7 8. That'll do a couple of things for you. Anytime we're gonna have a special breakfast, we do that once a month, once a quarter, something like that. It'll let you know the breakfast is, coming. Full breakfast. If,1:09 there's some change for some reason, it will let you know. If you miss on a given, day, it'll, shoot you out a link where you can find it and stay connected because we always just kind of go,1:21 book by book, verse by verse, in here. So text the word study to 7 7 9 7 8. That way you can stay tapped in, whether you can make it or not make it, whether you're traveling, whatever, you'll know what's going on.1:33 Well, last week, if you were here, we started the book of James and we made it all the way through verse 1. Everybody say verse 1. We made it all the way through verse 1. Got a little introduction and,1:45 we really started a series doing the right work the right way. And as we looked at verse 1 last week, we also saw a message of hope that, really here1:57 James, the brother of Jesus, started off not believing. His brother was who he said he was, but he finished up believing. And my prayer, for some guys in here, guys on Zoom, a lot of guys in our church2:09 and certainly a lot in our community is that as we walk and make our journey that we would become a lot like James in our own lives. Maybe move, from unbelieving to believing. From not following Christ to2:21 following Christ. To not being sold out to Christ to being sold out to Christ. And why do we want to do that? Because God's got stuff for us to do. God's got stuff for us to do in every2:33 place, in every space. And so that's my encouragement for you is if you missed last week go listen to verse 1 where we looked at James. He said, man a servant of2:44 God and my brother that he came from a place of thinking Jesus was crazy. To instead having encountering encountered his brother, after the resurrection and went from2:56 being an unbeliever to being a believer, from being a non follower to being a follower. And then James immediately said, God's got stuff for us to do. And so that's what we're gonna talk about today. That was verse 13:07 last week. This week, James tells us we have some growing up to do. Last week, God's got stuff for us to do. This week, we've got we've got some growing up to do. How many of you can admit that,3:19 if you think about, you and your wife and y'alls relationship, she's way more mature than you are. I I will tell you, Gina will double down ace of spades tell you that I am3:31 pretty much the immature nut job in my house. And, she looks at me consistently and constantly and goes in that great Greek term, have you you might I don't know if you speak Greek. She'll look at me and go,3:43 really? You're gonna do that? Or you did that? And and, you know, there there always needs to stay some playfulness in a man.3:54 Man, part of how God built us is we gotta play a little guys because life is hard, but we still have some growing up to do. Part of how God created us, we need to take some risk. Why? Because that's the way4:06 God created us, but we still need to we have some growing up to do it. So that's what we're gonna see today. And and here's the bad news, everybody say bad news. Often times, God has4:18 to use trials in our lives to grow us up. To kind of shake us up a little bit. How many of us understand that? You know, if things are going great, man,4:30 just keep driving as fast as you can. If things are going great, keep spending everything you can. If things are going great, don't pause and think about growing up. But sometimes God has to let some trials roll into4:42 our lives. To grow us up, to mature us a little and that's what we're gonna see in James chapter 1, verse 2. And I will tell you, I'm a little fired up but I'm also a4:53 little freaked out. How many of you know being freaked out is not a fruit of the spirit? Do you know that? Because here's what I know, not only have I been through some trials, I don't know what they are.5:06 But there are some trials coming my way. And I better know how to handle them when they show up. And I'm going back over some trials in my life and I passed, there are times that5:18 I have just passed the test with flying colors. And sometimes I have failed the test and didn't even hit the mark.5:30 And that's going to be interesting as we read it through here that when James talks about, trials, he says they're like test. How many of you love taking test?5:42 How many of you ever failed a test? How many of you ever failed a test big time? Alright. And and here's the beautiful thing about a test in God's economy. God5:54 is gracious enough that if you have failed the test, he'll let you retake the test. And so as we journey through talking about tests, sometimes God allows trials and6:06 tests to come in our life just to test us. And when we fail the test, God is gracious enough to bring another test To allow you to6:18 retake the test. When my kids were growing up, my oldest son, Jace is, he's a smart kid and, he's smart in a lot of ways, but Lovejoy how many of you have kids that grow up in Lovejoy? You go to6:29 Lovejoy School. Alright. Lovejoy instituted this unlimited retesting policy. Alright? Well, what it was really supposed to do is if you really worked hard, worked hard, worked hard,6:41 studied for a test, and you did do as well as you wanted to on the test, you could go back in and retake the test. Well, my son, Jace, was really smart and he figured out, no the way you do that is you6:53 don't bother studying for that first test at all. That's just kind of your review for what's on the test. And there would be times that I would look at other parents, and again, he was always playing some7:05 football or basketball, and then he had another outside sport, and he would be doing this and doing that. And I would be talking to other parents at the game and they said, man, he's got to get home and study for the7:14 chemistry test. And I'm like, well, Jason is in their chemistry class. He hadn't mentioned a thing about a test. And so we're driving home from wherever we're playing in Wiley or whatever, and I'm like, hey dude, I you7:25 know, I hear you got to take a test, or chemistry test. He goes, yeah. I go, You ready for it? He goes, No. And he would say, Remember dad, there's unlimited testing. He said, I said, What do you7:37 mean? He says, I always take my original test. It's kind of it's the review. And then he goes back in, he would ace the test. What was he doing? He he was gaming the system. Right? And as a7:49 dad, let me tell you what I I'd look at him and say, son, this is not real life. How many of you know that? It's not real life. And, I I would actually speak to the superintendents, I'd8:00 talk to the principals, I'd say, you know, that's a dumb policy. Now, my son didn't think it was a dumb policy. I said, because here's what I found about life, you don't always get to retake8:12 test. It's a 1 and done. How you do is how you've done. But here's what I love, and I'm so grateful. I'll tell you I'm your pastor,8:24 because God does let us retake tests. So if there's some guys out here that you look back over your life, you you you8:36 failed some tests for God. You failed some test in your relationship or or or in your faith walk or at the office or somewhere. Here's the good8:48 news. God is ready to roll another test out for you. Why? Because God wants us to grow up. So last week, God's got8:59 stuff for us to do. And, guys, I want you to know everybody in this room, regardless of your past, regardless whether you're single, married, young or old, wherever you've been, God's got stuff for you to do. But also, I9:08 want you to know, God's got some growing up for you to do. There's some guys out here that you're pretty young in your faith, and God's gonna run you through some tests, and some of the tests, he's gonna let you retake a9:18 test. Because he wants you to mature up. There's some other guys you are you are old in here, but you're still young in your faith. God's got some tests for you. They're going to show up. So what does it say?9:30 Here's what it says. Look at James chapter 1 verse 2. Justin always follows us, puts it on the screen. Here's what it says. We went through verse 1 last week. Here's what it says in verse 2.9:42 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters. We're just going to talk about brothers today. Whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith9:54 produces perseverance. And let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. Notice10:06 that phrase, because you know the testing of your faith produces endurance. You know, there are a lot of people that when we what happens is we wanna we wanna trust10:18 Christ as our savior and Lord. We wanna go to church. We wanna give an offering. We wanna tithe. We wanna serve a little bit. And then we want no problems that the world brings our way. I want you to know that is not the10:29 way it happens. There might be some folks that preach and talk about that, man, love God and everything's good. Here's what I found, love God, it might be good, but it might be bad the next day. Anybody in those seasons?10:39 Right? What do those do? God allows those tests, those trials, those difficulties to come our way, because he wants to grow up. Because part of why I grow up is then I can turn around when10:51 someone else is going through a test and I can help them grow up. So if you're not in a season of testing right now, look back and all back over your past for the seasons of testing and say, am I helping others get11:02 through it? If you're not in a season, I want to encourage you take heart to what we're going to talk about today because seasons of testing are right around the corner. I don't know what it is.11:15 Man, my life is pretty good right now. But how many of you know things could change quick? I look back over my life, sometimes a phone call changed everything.11:27 Boy, something happens in the economy and things change immediately. So I want to encourage you, don't think of your next test as, a decade away or a year away or a11:39 month away. It could be this afternoon. There might be some guys that are waiting on test results right now from the doctor and it may change a lot. So I want you to listen in. Because11:51 God wants us to grow up. So here it is. Let me just walk you through a couple times. Let's just start with a couple of words. Look at verse 2. We're up on the screen. Look at 2 words. Let them jump out at you. The first12:01 word, consider. And then a little further in, whenever. That word consider, when he's talking about your trials and your difficult, it means to ponder, to think about, to look for, listen to this,12:13 to look for something we can learn. So as you look at your trials and maybe 1 of the things that you want to do is go home after this, this morning or go to breakfast or get a cup of coffee and you just12:25 want to list down some of the trials and tests you're going through. Man, I've got a health test. I've got some financial problems. I've got some relation issues. Write those down and consider how God might be using12:36 those to make you more mature. And consider some of the positive things that could come out of it. Man, you know what? If I can get through this then I can help somebody else. If I12:48 can grow my marriage then I can I can help somebody else when their marriage is struggling? Man, consider some of the positive things that could be coming out of the trials that you have. A lot of times, we don't.13:00 But think about it. It says, man, look deeply. Consider. Watch. Notice. Get your mind right. That's what consider means. But then notice that second word and I will tell you I hate that word second word that second word,13:11 whenever. Everybody say whenever. That means they're coming. That means your trials are coming. My trials are coming. They might be different in seasons of13:23 life, but that word whenever means they are going to show up. You might be in the middle of a whenever right now, your whenever might be a week from now, it might be a month from now, it might be a year from now, it13:34 might be a decade from now, but I will tell you trials are coming, and whenever they do, you better consider the right things. Now notice what else, let me let me go to another verse. Peter says the same thing. First13:46 Peter chapter 4 verse 12. He says, dear friends Everybody say that's us. And Peter's talking to you. He says, dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has13:57 come on you to what's that word? To test you. He says, don't be shocked when trials show up. But it's kind of interesting that Peter uses the same14:09 word James does because they're friends, they're leaders in the church, they're in Jerusalem. And James says, hey listen, whenever trials come up on you, it's God testing you. Why? Because God wants to mature you. Here14:21 is what Peter says in first Peter chapter 4 verse 12, dear friends, don't be surprised at the fiery ordeal, the hard test that has come on you to test you as though something strange were happening to14:33 you. I think what Peter is saying, a lot of times in life it is more strange when we aren't go through going through testing seasons. It's more strange in those14:45 seasons of peace. It's more strange in those times when everything is going well. Because there are a lot of times in my life where almost everything is going great.14:58 But not everything. There are some times where it seems like almost everything stinks. Everybody been in 1 of those seasons.15:10 Understand, life is just 1 test after another test after another test and they're not well spaced out. And so go back go back to James and let's just continue to read. Here it is. James chapter 2. We're going word by15:21 word, verse by verse. James chapter 1 verse 2. He says, consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, when you face trials of many kind. Now, if you're going to think about15:33 it, that's kind of crazy. That when you go through a test, that you're gonna consider it joy. Why is James saying that?15:45 He's saying, we need to look at this and go, man I'm about to learn a really good lesson right right here. I'm about to grow up in an amazing way. But to consider it15:57 joy, he says, man, part of it is, if we've gone from being non believing to believing or being not a follower of Christ to being a follower of Christ, what was it that changed16:09 James perspective? He thought his brother was nuts. James thought Jesus was nuts until what? The resurrection. When all of a sudden he showed up and looked eye to eye with his brother, the brother who said I16:21 was going to come back from the dead. And all of a sudden James said, I'm in. You are who you say you are, and I'm gonna follow you. And that's why it was what we looked at last week, James16:32 went from being someone who thought his brother was a little shady and a little crazy. To saying I'm a follower and a servant of God and so here it is. James says16:44 consider it pure joy. You know what he's saying? Man, you want to be a great advertisement for the faith? Learn to have joy in the16:56 midst of trials. Why? Because that is very different than the way most people go through trials. And I will tell you, here's what he's also saying. If like James,17:08 we believe that Jesus did what he said he did, And we're on our way to doing what God said we're gonna do. That ultimately, when I exit this earth, I'm gonna be 1 breath away from17:19 being in heaven with God, to be absent from the body, to be present with Christ. Then how can we not have joy even when we go through trials? So I want you to know, not17:31 having joy is a bad advertisement for the faith. How many of you like to be you want to be good advertisement for the faith? I do. So I want you to know,17:43 if you are going through a trial or when you go through a trial, be a be a good advertisement for the faith. That man, you know what? I'm going through this stuff, but God's got a plan.17:57 God's got a plan. I I will tell you, if it's a bad advertisement to be joyless when you're going through a trial, guys, everybody listen to this, especially point at the grumpy dude at your table. It's really18:08 a bad advertisement if you don't have joy when you're not going through testing times, right? I mean of all people, we should be the ones with joy. And so here's what he says. He says, consider pure joy18:21 when you go through trials. Man, I want you to understand. Trials, they don't change us, they reveal what's in us. They don't change18:32 us, they reveal what's in us. So when I go through a trial, if when I'm squeezed, if joy comes out, that's probably what was in us.18:45 If anger and bitterness and joylessness comes out, all the trial did was squeeze it. Right? If I were to squeeze this bottle, what's going to come out? Water? Kinda.18:57 Right? And so guys, when you go through a difficulty, a hardship, a trial, what comes out of you when you are squeezed is what's already in there. And so here he says, consider it pure joy.19:09 We want to expand, the idea that if I go through hard things, I want to do it with a joy that God's trying to teach me something. You say, alright pastor,19:21 if I do roll into a joy, how should I respond? Just a list. I was looking around and I noticed a lot of people, when we face trials, we blow up. Man, I go through something hard, a19:33 little bit difficult, I blow up. Man, I I I get angry, and, man, what do I do when I blow up? I hurt others. Right? There's some people, man, a little trial, something happens,19:45 and they go along, they blow up and they blow up with their wife or their kids. They're angry here and so they go kick the dog, that old phrase, that old mindset. And guys, what happens What do you do when you go through19:56 a difficulty? If something happens today that you don't like, your boss comes in and says something you don't like or something doesn't go right at work, do you blow up? Or do20:08 you consider it joy because God's gonna teach you something? Sometimes we shut down And sometimes when we go through hard seasons, maybe a season of loss, what do we do? We have a tendency to shut down20:20 instead of pressing forward. There are times that people will say, you know, I I I they just don't do well on tests. You ever heard that? Maybe you've got a kid or grandkid, some people have test20:32 anxiety. And and they just shut down. You know they got it, but they just shut down. And guys, I I I want to encourage you, man. If you are going through trials, do not shut20:44 down. There there are times in our lives, and I've been there once in my life, when my brother took his life, where where my fight or flight mechanism just shut down.20:56 Right? That that I didn't know if I was so mad I wanted to run through a wall or if I wanted to retreat. And it just shut down. And and there might be some guys in here that you've gone through some things and21:08 all of a sudden that flight or, that fight or flight mechanism in your life, it's just kind of shut down. Guess what that does? It creates distance between you and other people. Man, don't be that21:20 person. Sometimes, we stuff it. Man, we just stuff it, we just put it down, we just man say, you know, I'm just I'm just gonna be, immune to what the world offers. I'm gonna not be emotional about21:31 things. I just shut down. I'm gonna stuff it. Some people try to avoid it, begin to go through a trial. Something's going on with you or your wife, you're for your kids, you just kind of avoid it and pretend it's gonna21:41 go away or hope it's gonna go away. It ain't going away. I gotta learn something in this season. I gotta learn something in this time. And if we fail, God may well let us take that test again.21:53 Sometimes people just worry about it. So I say, man, freaking out is not a fruit of the spirit. All right? And by the way, this is I'll give you something good. You know,22:05 it won't help you, but I can give you something good. Next time your wife blows up, just look at her and say, you know, the pastor says freaking out ain't a fruit of the spirit. I've got other marriage advice if you22:17 wanna share. Just you and your you and your bride coming through. It'll be short. But Janet, just look at her and say, honey, do you not listen to the pastor?22:29 That's not a fruit of spirit. Quit freaking out. And then, take a picture of yourself, let me know how it goes. Alright? You know, a lot of times we blame others. Man, there are a22:41 lot of people. And we're going to talk about how should I respond here in a second. Man, we blame somebody else. It's always blaming somebody else. Sometimes best thing we do when we go through trials, especially if it's22:50 self inflicted wound, oh wait. Man, here's the way a lot of people do and guys, don't let this be anybody in the room. I've seen over the years now that I've been a pastor 28 and a half years,23:03 some really good guys that love God and love the church. When they go through a trial, they prodigal up. You say, what do you mean? They turn and run from God.23:15 They go through a hardship. They go through a difficulty even if it's something they've done, and they prodigal up. They say, I'm done. And, they begin to run. Maybe there's23:27 some guys in here in this room that you've gone through some trials and you've done that. You've turned and you've left the father's house. Or maybe you know someone that left the father's house that they went through23:38 something. They went through a hardship or a difficulty. Man, I want to encourage you, don't let that be your response when you face trials. Well, how do we face23:50 trials? Look at it. He notice what he says verse 2. Whenever you face trials, how are we supposed to face our trials? It's right there. Face them. Don't turn and24:02 run. Don't avoid them. Don't stuff it. That word trial simply means trouble, difficulty, temptations, whatever it is that you might be going through. Man, but notice he says we face24:14 trials. We don't tuck, tail and run. We don't run away from God. We don't blow up at other people. Man, I face I begin to size up my trial. I begin to say, who's24:26 the team I need on my side to help me get through this trial? What's going on with the other people around us? That's called facing the trial. Let me write it down. Let me size it up. Man, facing the trial, have you24:37 thought about that? I'm just gonna face it. Alright. This is what's coming my way. I can't avoid it. I can't stuff it. I can't turn and run from it. Man, I can't blame someone else for it. I gotta face it. And then24:47 notice it says trials and depending on your translation, if you just go through on your, iPhone or smart device and go from 1 translation to the other, some will translate it trials. That's what the NIV does24:59 here. Some will translate it trouble. Same Greek word. Some will translate it difficulty. Some will translate it temptation. Maybe some guys in this room, you're not going through problem, but you've got a25:11 temptation that just keeps showing up over and over and over again. Maybe it's alcohol, maybe it's, something outside your relationship in marriage, maybe it's25:23 some other temptation that you struggle with that I may not struggle with. How do you deal with it? James says face it. Man, let me be honest. Let me surround myself with people who I can25:35 be open and honest with about it and they can help me get through it. Why? Because God wants me to not run from my temptation or run from my trial, but he wants me to get on the other side of it.25:47 Why? Because God's got stuff for us to do and we can only do the stuff that God wants us to do if we grow up. And that's where trials come in. You say, he says trials, notice he doesn't say singular.26:01 Plural. How many of you think this is pretty discouraging about now? It would be easy. It would be real real easy. It'd be way easier if God would just, do what I want him to do. How26:13 many of you figured out God doesn't always do what you want him to do? I've learned that 28 and a half years pastor. I've now pretty much let God be God. And here's what I26:25 know, because if I was God, I would say, hey, I would want 1 trial at a time. I would want them well spaced out. I would want to let John Mark finish 1 trial before he gets ready. Let him rest, relax, man, go to26:37 the jacuzzi and then all of a sudden say, hey, in about 3 weeks another trial is gonna show up and then but that's not the way it happens in this world. It says trials plural. You say, what are those trials, man? I don't26:49 know. What are your what are you see which 1 of these resonates with you and this might be part of your list. Man, sometimes it's personal. The trials that I go through, it's a me problem.27:01 It's my temptation. It's my addiction. It's my anger. It's my fault. Sometimes it's a personal problem. That's the trial that I keep going through over it. It's my spending. It is a personal problem.27:13 Sometimes it's a relational problem. Man, you're in a relationship and there is an us problem. And it's a trial that you're going through. And man, just to get on the same page27:25 or, or or or walk lock step together, it's hard and it's a trial and there are multiple trials and multiple sometimes it's financial. That you've gotten yourself in a27:37 financial trial, a difficulty, a hardship. And that happens in 1 of a couple of ways. 1 is we've just overspent for a long time.27:49 Sometimes there's been a job change. Man, all of a sudden, you're not making what you used to make, but you're still spending what you used to spend. How many of you been in that season? Maybe28:01 that's a trial. God wants you to face it. He doesn't want you to run from it because he wants to grow you up because then you can someday talk to someone else about it. Sometimes28:13 it's an emotional problem. Emotional trial. Sometimes it's an other problem. Others just seem to create difficulty in your life. Whatever it is, what does James say? Face trials of many28:25 kind. So why do we want to face our trials? Just continue to read look at verse 3 because you know that detesting there's that word again. The testing of your faith28:38 produces perseverance. Guys, here is good news. If you have failed the test in the past, God is walking through this room right28:49 now laying new tests for you to take over again. That is called grace. Everybody say grace. That God's gonna give everybody in this room a chance to29:01 take the test again. Why? He don't want you to fail. He wants you to mature. He don't want you to fail. He want you to mature so you can help someone else mature. You can come alongside them. James is gonna talk about29:13 that in the next couple of weeks as we just continue to walk through. But here's what we need to know. God allows us to take tests, but he oftentimes, if we fail them, he lets us take them again because he cares more29:25 that we grow up, that we go away. So that's the invitation for some who maybe maybe not physically because you're here but spiritually you29:37 step back from God. You're not willing to step forward for God because you say, I failed in the past or I've made mistakes in the past. I am sitting here right now telling you from James and God's word, man, get back in29:48 the game. Because God's got stuff for us to do. And if we truly want to change this church and our houses and our community and and our30:00 state and our country, it's going to be when men, everybody say men. When men step up and say God I'm willing to retake that test. I'm willing to say yes to you30:12 again. I'm willing to face the trials in my life. Man, that's when we can really step up for God. And the good news is, you can pass the30:24 test. You don't just get to retake the test. The good news is every guy in this room can pass the test you failed in your past. If you're willing to, with God's grace,30:35 go retake the test. I I ran across this as we think about going through test. Last week, I saw an article. Put those 9 phrases up there, Justin. Saw an article. It was it30:47 was front page news and I think it was in Success Magazine or something like that. That, this Harvard psychologist, Harvard psychologist said, if you want to be resilient going through trials30:59 and going through difficulties at the work, Say these 9 phrases over and over again. If you will say these 9 phrases every day, you'll get through any test and any trial. Now, it's kinda interesting now here. I wanna31:11 encourage everybody to take those pictures. Take a picture. Notice that Everybody apparently there were people commenting on this story over and over again. And a lot of times people are doing it31:23 because it says renowned here's what the article said, renowned Harvard psychologists. Said take these 9 phrases.31:35 These 9 phrases will make you resilient at the office, in your family, at home. And you wanna know why everybody commented, everybody took pictures, everybody looked at31:47 it? Because it said a Harvard, a renowned Harvard psychologist said these 9 phrases. Let me tell you gentlemen, you want to know where these 9 phrases came from?31:59 The bible. Right there. I read the whole article. At no point did this Harvard psychologist, this renowned Harvard psychologist say, here are32:10 9 of the best phrases and if you will just read your bible. I can tell you, there aren't just 9 great phrases when you're going through trials in the bible. There are 900. There aren't just 900. There are32:22 9000 that will get you through a trial. Over and over example after example. Every 1 of these phrases are straight out of God's word. And a lot of times, man, we are32:34 looking other places and other spaces that God would get us through and how we face trials and how we go through. They produce, I love it, perseverance. Man, what was the Harvard psychologist32:46 acknowledging? We go through trials. Let me tell you what. You went to Tuesday morning bible study this morning. God bless you, you're in the right place, you're surrounded by the right people, you're studying about the32:56 right God. But you know what? There might be some guys in this room, you're about to go through a trial. Guess what? There are a lot of guys outside who didn't come to this bible study. They might go through trials too.33:07 And they might need you to be the 1 who faces your trials with joy and perseverance, and you pass your test. So when they're going through their test, you could say some of these words but you can go back and tell them33:19 and that's found in the bible by the way. And so you can take those down. 9 phrases, man. Here's the key. We all need some phrases to get us through trials if we're gonna grow on our perseverance. So notice,33:31 jump down to verse 4. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature. Everybody say mature. Hate to tell you guys.33:44 That's part of the process. God wants us to grow up a little bit. Right? We all know God knows our wives want us to grow up a little bit. Not too much. Takes all the fun away. He33:55 says, that you may mature and complete maybe mature and complete not lacking anything. I love what here's what I think he's saying.34:08 When trials come up, God comes down and we grow up. I think that's it. When trials34:20 come up, God comes down, and we grow up. So whatever you're facing right now, I want you to think about that, man. Alright. A trial has shown up. I'm waiting for God to show up to tell34:32 me the test he wants me to pass, so I can ultimately grow up. Because I wanna pass this test. James is saying, guys, there's a purpose in every problem. Everything that you're going to go through, everything34:43 that you're about to go through, there is a purpose in your problem. You say, What's that purpose? Well, let's go to Job. Remember Job? Remember34:55 the multiplicity of trials, Job chapter 23 verse 10? You talk about a dude that had trials, plural. Everybody say plural. Remember what happened? All of a sudden a courier showed up,35:08 knock on the door. Hey, Job. I hate to tell you this. All your kids died. Job goes in the living room, falls on his face. He's he's reaping. He's he's crying. He he can't believe it.35:20 I've lost all of my kids. And all of a sudden, there's a knock on the door. And the knock on the door wasn't just kidding. They're fine. Remember what it says? Your business burned down.35:33 Joe goes in there and cries. He's falling on around the ground. Not only has he lost his kids, he's lost his pride and joy. He's lost his business, everything he had built up. He's in there crying on the ground. Knock,35:45 knock. It's a doctor showing up and said, oh, by the way, your test results came back. There are gonna be boils all over your body and you're gonna be bleeding out of your eyes. Could anything else happen to Job?35:59 Face your trials. Plural. Face them guys. Can't avoid them. Can't run from them. God given you a test so you can mature and so you can grow up. I love what Job said in Job 2336:11 verse 10. It says, when God had has tested me, this is it. I shall come forth as gold. See, be careful that you don't misread that, guys.36:23 You say, man, I gotta get to a place that when God tests me, all he'll find is gold. That's not what it says. How do you get pure gold?36:36 You heat it to mature it to get the impurities out of it. Here's what Job was constantly saying, I didn't do anything wrong. I didn't do anything wrong. I didn't do anything wrong.36:47 God heeded him a little bit and found out there were some impurities in Job's lives. Like that's why when you get to the end of Joe's life, he finally says, you're God, I'm not. So guys, here's what God is doing when he36:59 allows you to go through tests, some of those fiery ordeals from those fiery times. God is heating you up. Why? Because he wants your faith and your faith walk to be more and more pure37:11 gold. Testing makes you more valuable. If you'll face your trials, not run from them, not avoid them, not stuff them, Not37:23 overreact to them. Because God will use it to purify you. Let me give you another 1. Genesis chapter 50 verse 20. Remember a guy named Joseph? Comes to the end of his story. He's been sold into slavery.37:35 Potiphar lied. Potiphar's wife lied about him. He ultimately ends up going through prison. Told the guy guy some visions and dreams. They said, we won't forget you, Joseph. He goes, listen. When you get up there with the37:45 pharaoh, don't forget me. And how many of you have friends like this are probably sitting at the table with you? That's just the way we roll here. And it says, they forgot about Joseph. And he37:57 lingered in the prison. Can you imagine if you're Joe, if you're Joseph? Damn. I hope you get that position. Anybody have don't don't point if they're in the room. Anybody ever help somebody get something and they forget38:08 about you immediately? I just want you to know, I'm not as spiritual as Joseph. Because notice what Joseph does, because he's been tested, he's become pure gold, been able to38:20 save many. Look at what he says in Genesis 50 verse 20. He says, you intended to harm me. His brothers show up. Let me ask you a question. If your brother sold you into slavery, you were gone, didn't see your father,38:29 weren't in your homeland, ended up being potty for your house, being in prison, finally show up, you work your tail off to make your way back to the top and all of a sudden the brothers that show up come in, they need a38:41 little food. How many of you can think of a lot of other things to do than bless them? I mean, let's be honest. Now, those of you who say,38:53 no, I want to spend time around you because I don't get you. I would have drug them through the mud, I'd have wore them out. Man, the grain would have been real expensive.39:05 Alright. I'd have called them out. I'd exposed them, but I love this. Joseph said, you intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what isShow more In this video 0:00 Facing Trials with Joy and Perseverance
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