I Have 99 Problems, But Salvation Ain't One

We all have some loads to carry, that's the nature of life. And sometimes the loads are so heavy, that it takes everything we've got to keep from dropping it or caving in beneath the weight. This might be one of those seasons of heavy burdens for you. Is there anybody out there that can relate?

You lost your job, you found out that the car needs to be repaired, the apartment or house has items that need to be fixed, the doctor has not given you a clean bill of health, your telephone is not working due to a strike, the person who you find it difficult to work with has just been promoted to be your new supervisor, the babysitter you hired was filmed on TV riding in the back of a pick-up truck with your child, the IRS sends you a letter that says even though it’s not your fault, you owe them $10,000, your current retirement pay is threatened and you may have to go look for a job, you unexpectedly find out that your children need to move back in with you, and because of a prank gone wrong, you get suspended from school during the open house.

Maybe some of you feel like Mother Teresa who is reported to have said, "I know God trusts me and He will never let me have more than I can handle. I just wish He didn't trust me with so much." In a very real way, God's trust is what your burdens are all about.

Look at Job. He had no idea that his motives for serving God were being challenged by satan himself in heaven. And the devil knew he couldn't do anything bad to Job unless God allowed him to.

And God looks at his servant Job and says, "I can trust this man with a very heavy load. He will not betray me. He will not stop trusting me." And with one tragedy after another flooding into his life, Job proves he is a man God can trust. And, in the process, he humiliates the devil who was sure he could embarrass God with Job's betrayal.

A. WHEN YOU HAVE PROBLEMS, YOU HAVE TO KNOW WHERE TO TURN TO FOR REAL STRENGTH

1. Suffering must not stop us from the exercises of prayer

2. Difficulty must not discourage us from sowing

3. Trouble must not turn us from worshipping

TRANS: Be careful of people who will pretend to be close to you, but at the same time belittle you or say things to make you feel bad - a frenemy.

B. WHEN YOU HAVE PROBLEMS, YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE REAL FRIENDS

1. Godly Friends who Give Good Advice (Proverbs 12:26)

2. Loyal Friends who Love you Through Difficult Times (Proverbs 17:17)

3. Sincere Friends who Speak the Truth in Love, Even When it Hurts (Proverbs 27:5-6)

TRANS: Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

C. WHEN YOU HAVE PROBLEMS, YOU HAVE TO VERIFY IF IT IS YOUR FAULT, OR IF IT IS GOD’S FAVOR

1. If you have to carry something really heavy right now, realize that you are being trusted by God

2. There's something much bigger, something much more eternal going on here than you can possibly imagine

3. God knows you will emerge from this struggle stronger and more valuable than you have ever been

God has good news for us in 1 Corinthians 10:13 which says, "God is faithful; He will not let us be tempted or "tested" beyond what we can bear. But when we are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that we can stand up under it." We have to realize that everything that comes into our life, as a child of God, has to be Father-filtered first. Whether our Father sends it or allows it, no temptation can come into our life unless God has first signed off on it. Will God allow burdens that take us to the limit? Yes, He will. Any athlete who's ever used the weight room will tell you that the only way you can get stronger, is if you lift something heavier than you've lifted before. God knows our limit, and while He may allow us to go to the edge, so we can experience His power, He will never allow us to go over the edge. I challenge you to leave today with a new mindset: Like Job, I may have 99 problems, but Salvation ain’t one!