What Suffering is Designed to Do

Date: July 2, 2017

Topics: Courage, Faithfulness, God's Love, Justice, Suffering, Temptation, Trust

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Human reasoning would have us believe that if God really loved us, He would protect us from all pain, heartache and suffering. It is vital, then, that we do not face the hardships of life with human reasoning, but rather, with the mind of Christ. What attitude did Christ have when He endured all the physical and emotional suffering that came His way, and what can we learn by having that same attitude?

Don’t Be Afraid — Just Believe

Date: May 31, 2026 | Speaker: Phil Pike

A prominent religious leader fights through the crowd and falls at Jesus’ feet, begging Him to come quickly and heal his dying daughter. But on the way, Jesus stops to help an outcast woman, and during that delay, the little girl dies. The father is shattered, but Jesus says, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” And what seemed like a tragedy turned into an even greater miracle when Jesus raised his daughter from the dead! Do you feel like you’ve been waiting on God while everyone around you gets their answer? He’s calling you to trust Him and discover that His timing is always right.

When Obedience Leads Into the Storm

Date: May 24, 2026 | Speaker: Phil Pike

We often assume that if we obey God, life will go smoothly, but sometimes the fiercest storms come when we’re faithfully following Him. In those dark seasons, when fear, disappointment, and unanswered questions press in, we may even wonder if God cares at all. But what we need most is not always that our problems get solved overnight; it’s remembering that suffering helps us see God more clearly than comfort ever could. Trials will either make us bitter or make us better, and that choice is ultimately ours. The deeper question in suffering is not simply, “When will this end?” but, “Will I come through this more like Christ than I was before?”

A Heart Ready for God

Date: May 17, 2026 | Speaker: Phil Pike

We can spend years listening to truth while our hearts quietly harden, grow shallow, or get tangled in a thousand other things. Even if we show up and check all the boxes, spiritual numbness can still creep in. What we need, again and again, is a heart that’s open, receptive, ready for God’s Word to take root. He doesn’t force His way in. He sows and waits, faithful even in the dry seasons. But the condition of the soil? That’s our part. We must keep it prepared. So what about your heart today? Is it broken and ready, or is there hardness, shallowness, thorns that need to go?

Have I Committed the Unpardonable Sin?

Date: May 10, 2026 | Speaker: Phil Pike

Few questions cause more inner panic than this one: “Have I committed the unpardonable sin?” We all know how often our mind replays old failures, reckless words, seasons of rebellion, or years of drifting from God. Scripture does warn us not to harden our hearts against the Holy Spirit, because the unpardonable sin is a sobering and very real danger. Yet the gospel also extends mercy bigger than our worst moments. The person who still aches over sin, who longs to be forgiven, has not been abandoned. Jesus welcomes broken, repentant people. His grace reaches the worst of us. Whoever turns to Him by faith will find that no sin runs deeper than His redeeming love!

Eyes on Him

Date: May 3, 2026 | Speaker: Kevin Hodge

Life is marked by many trials and struggles, and each day can bring challenges. However, we are reminded as believers that we have a future hope in heaven, where everything will be made new and we will spend eternity with Jesus. This can be a motivation for how we live today. Does the hope of heaven shape how you live today?

The Danger of Being Good Enough

Date: April 19, 2026 | Speaker: Phil Pike

There are basically two kinds of people: those who know they are sinners, and those who refuse to admit that they are. Some are so weighed down by their failures that they feel unworthy to come to Jesus. But they need to know that He came to lift up the fallen and restore the broken. Others don’t think they need forgiveness at all, and are kept away by pride. But the truth is, every one of us has sinned and stands in need of a Savior. And He has promised to receive all who come to Him by faith!

He is Faithful When We Falter

Date: April 12, 2026 | Speaker: Phil Pike

We have all experienced the dark night of the soul—that crippling blackness that settles over us and refuses to leave. In those seasons, even the strongest faith can question everything it once believed. John the Baptist, the man Jesus called the greatest ever born, found himself in a prison cell wrestling with doubt and wondering if Jesus really was the Promised One. Yet Jesus did not meet John’s uncertainty with rebuke. He responded with tenderness and grace. We are reminded that our darkest seasons do not disqualify us. They simply reveal our deep need for a Savior who remains faithful even when we falter.

Living in Resurrection Victory

Date: April 5, 2026 | Speaker: Phil Pike

The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead isn’t merely an event to be remembered, it is a living power meant to transform our daily lives. When Jesus walked out of that tomb, He deposited three staggering realities into us: a hope that cannot be shaken, an inheritance that cannot be lost, and a power that cannot be defeated. The same conquering force that defeated death now lives inside every true believer. We are not spectators watching resurrection power from a distance; we are the body through which that power moves! The question isn’t whether you believe the resurrection happened; the question is whether you’re actually living like it did?

The Unavoidable Claims of Jesus

Date: March 29, 2026 | Speaker: Phil Pike

Jesus claimed to be one with God, to hold power over life and death, and to deserve equal honor with the Father. He even declared that if you reject Him, you are calling God a liar. These are the words of someone who is either delusional or divine. Such radical claims don’t allow us to remain neutral. We must answer the unavoidable question: What will we do with Jesus? He cannot be admired from a distance or added as an accessory to our lives. In the end, there is no middle ground: we either bow in belief or turn away in blindness.

When Physical Healing Isn’t Enough

Date: March 22, 2026 | Speaker: Phil Pike

When a crushing physical or emotional burden has weighed us down long enough, it can eventually rob us of all hope. The joy we once knew gets drowned out by a sense of despair, and the only prayer left in us is a desperate cry for God to make it stop. But true freedom is not merely relief from pain. It is a heart that has learned to love and worship God even when the circumstances refuse to change. The greatest miracle may not be a restored body, but a renewed perspective that treasures Him above every answered prayer.