ITS ALREADY DONE! God Is With You

[Music] most people in a time of struggling in a time of Despair in a season of Trials we'll ask God to rescue them they will ask God to deliver them but what happens when you ask God to take this problem or situation away and he doesn't what happens when you've told the mountain to move and it doesn't what now I'd like to submit to you that during those times when trouble just doesn't go away when the rain just doesn't stop should our prayer actually be Lord go through this storm with me give me the strength to face this problem look at the three Hebrew boys in the Book of Daniel they were thrown into a fiery furnace God didn't deliver them from being thrown in the fire God got in the fire with them God didn't deliver Daniel from being thrown in the Lion's Den God was there with him Psalm 23 verse 4 says even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death even though I walk through note how the Bible says I walk through this isn't a case of saying God don't let me walk through the valley of the shadow of death or God save me from the Valley of the shadow of death but it's even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for you are with me your rod and your staff they comfort me the key part is the phrase for you are with me and I want you to know that God is with you God is with you even in the Valley of the shadow of death God is with you even in a time of extreme grief and distress when tragedy strikes when everything appears to go against you God is still with you he is a friend that sticks closer than a brother so when the mountain won't move pray for the strength to climb that mountain when the giant won't move pray for the power to defeat that giant when your burden becomes too big then cast your burdens on the Lord when we are drowning in sorrow and there looks to be no way out pray for the god of the ages to make possible what is impossible to man God is with you if you're in a fight at this moment in time if you're in a battle God is with you and that battle belongs to God let him fight for you the only way you will be able to withstand the fiery furnace the only way you will be able to survive the Lion's Den is if you come to a place of total surrender if this is your will Lord go with me if this trial won't go away then face this trial with me God if I must go through this fire then go through this fire with me that should be our prayer Lord go with me he will always provide you with the grace to overcome the strength to withstand and in the end Victory belongs to God thank you faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of Things Not Seen faith is believing in the promises of God faith is believing what your natural eyes cannot see [Music] let me put it this way faith says I don't have to physically see the blood of Jesus for me to believe that I'm protected faith says I don't have to physically see angels for me to believe the word of God that tells me that the angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him faith says I don't even have to see the Holy Spirit for me to believe that he has power and he is a comforter and a teacher you see faith is a requirement for every believer it is the core of our Christian Living it's by faith that we come to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and savior it is also by faith that we live our lives with joy and gladness knowing that there is eternity to be spent with the father above and perhaps one of the most prominent verses in the Bible about faith is Hebrews 11 verse 6. but without faith it is impossible to please him for he who comes to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him my brother my sister are you standing in faith are you living by faith are you walking by faith you see faith is a life of action based on what you believe to be true for example the action of not worrying that's a result of you having the faith that God is in control the action of not trying to fix everything that too is a result of you having the faith that God is in control Jesus Christ said let not your hearts be troubled well why did he say this because he wants you to have faith that he will take care of all your needs another way to understand or Define faith can be summed up in the following way faith is doing your part which is trusting God to do his part your part is to believe that's all you need to do and then you leave God to do his part your part is to stand on God's word his word that says nothing is impossible with God so let me ask you are you doing your part are you believing and standing on God's word are you walking by faith and not by sight you see strong faith comes from knowing and believing that Jesus Christ not only rose from the dead but that he defeated the devil he defeated death hell and the grave strong faith comes from meditating on God's word strong faith is cultivated when you not only read the word of God but you internalize it you Ponder on it you dwell on it I would even go so far as saying strong faith comes as a product of great trials now that's not something we would readily invite but it is good to know that if we find ourselves in the midst of great trials then strong faith can be produced in the process when you think about some of the heroes of the faith in the Bible and all the trials they went through you'll see that all of them had one thing in common they were unshakable in their faith they were strong in faith Daniel he was thrown into the lion's den but he held on to God Paul and Silas were beaten chained up and imprisoned but they still praised God Moses stood in front of the Red Sea not knowing what would happen but he called out to God these are all great examples of men who stood their ground and trusted in the Lord even when all the odds were against them they stayed in faith no matter what they faced their faith was not shaken their faith was not broken and that was because they knew that the god whom they served was bigger greater more powerful than anything or anyone else they could ever come up against we can learn a lot from the Believers in the Bible and from how they dealt with adversity because even in the present day we find ourselves in situations where our faith is put to the test and then we must decide how we will respond now your trial may not look like theirs your trial may not be a den of hungry lions or being chased by an Egyptian Army into an enormous body of water but it might seem just as hopeless it may seem just as intimidating but here's what the Bible says in First Peter 1 verses 6 and 7. in all this you greatly rejoice though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief and all kinds of Trials these have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith of Greater worth than gold which perishes even though refined by fire may result in Praise Glory and Honor when Jesus Christ is revealed [Music]