Join Me in My Struggle

We continue our series on the Book of Romans called “Romans: The Gospel of God’s Grace” with this week’s message from Romans 15: 23-33 about our personal struggles and how we can strengthen one another while going thru these struggles. At any given time in our life, we can experience problems. We don’t need to pretend we’re doing great and we don’t need to struggle alone. Whatever our standing in life, God will find ways to use us. Strengthening ourselves according to God’s will helps us to fortify others when they’re struggling and allows us to be lifted by others when we’re the ones with problems. We must invest in God’s purpose by building real relationships, serving God and spreading the Gospel. These actions should be ongoing in our lives, as there is no retirement in serving God and sharing His word. We should be influencers for Christ. We must notice and be aware for the need for prayers. None of us is very strong, all of us needs God and all of us needs prayers. Praying is not a sign of weakness but a source of strength. We must follow God even when it’s hard to do so. There will be circumstances in our lives where we might start doubting God, but we are encouraged (and we should encourage others) to always follow God, whether we experience happiness or turbulence in our lives. Following and obeying God will always lead to something better for our life. We must lean on God’s people. We are never meant to struggle alone. Community with fellow believers of God gives strength to each one of us. The enemy loves isolation, that is why church and prayer partner matters. We must understand that serving matters. God’s believers are meant to practically and spiritually care for each other. Thankfulness for God’s blessings should inspire us to serve and give to others. We must endure through opposition. Opposition does not cancel your assignment to uplift others and live according to God’s will. We should face this opposition heads on by staying faithful to God. We should stay on guard and stand firm in our faith to God. We must never lose hope. Christ never sends us out to the world on an empty tank. He goes with us by bringing strength, hope and grace that is bigger than what we are facing in life. We must recognize that Christ is our peace. God’s presence gives peace in pressure. In today’s world of social media, followers cannot give peace, likes cannot heal anxiety and trends cannot save your soul. Only Christ can give us true peace, healing and saving. We must know that every struggle can point people to Jesus. Our testimony, faith and perseverance can lead others closer to God. Our struggles can lead to someone else’s hope. Real influence is not about making people notice you, but is about pointing and leading others to God. We must respond to the Great Commission. We are to go and make disciples, baptize them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and to teach others to obey God’s commands. We are not simply to observe the culture that we live in, but to influence it for God’s Kingdom.