GROWING THROUGH WHAT YOU GO THROUGH
By Rev. Samuel Arimoro
Main Text: James 1:2-4
Supporting Texts: Romans 5:3-5, 2 Corinthians 4:17, Psalm 34:19, 1 Peter 1:6-7, Isaiah 43:2
INTRODUCTION:
Life is a journey filled with seasons—some filled with sunshine, others with storms. It is not always the pleasant moments that shape us the most, but often the painful ones. Trials, challenges, and setbacks are not designed to break us, but to make us stronger, deeper, and more mature in Christ.
God uses what we go through to produce something in us. No experience is ever wasted in the hands of the Master. When we yield to God in times of hardship, He turns pain into purpose, trials into testimonies, and pressure into power.
As believers, we must learn to see beyond the trial and focus on the transformation. God is more interested in who we are becoming than what we are escaping. Let us consider how we can grow through what we go through.
1. TRIALS ARE OPPORTUNITIES FOR SPIRITUAL MATURITY
Before God elevates you, He first prepares you through testing.
a) Trials produce endurance in our faith
James 1:3 tells us that the testing of our faith develops perseverance that strengthens our walk with God.
b) Endurance leads to maturity and completeness
God allows challenges to refine us, so we lack nothing in character (James 1:4).
c) Maturity helps us to respond to life with godly wisdom
We stop reacting emotionally and start responding spiritually.
d) Challenges reveal areas in need of growth
Trials expose pride, fear, impatience, and areas where we still need God’s help.
Biblical Example: Joseph grew in wisdom and favour through betrayal, false accusations, and imprisonment—preparing him to rule Egypt (Genesis 37–41).
2. PAIN CAN BECOME A PLATFORM FOR PURPOSE
What you suffer can become the very thing God uses for others' healing.
a) God never wastes pain—He uses it to shape your destiny
Romans 8:28 assures us that all things, including our pain, work together for our good.
b) Pain opens doors to minister compassionately to others
Those who’ve been through much often love and serve much (2 Corinthians 1:4).
c) Struggles become testimonies that glorify God
Every healed wound becomes a scar that tells of His faithfulness.
d) God reveals purpose through wilderness seasons
The desert experience builds strength for the promised land.
Biblical Example: Hannah’s pain of barrenness gave birth to Samuel—a prophet and judge who shaped Israel’s destiny (1 Samuel 1:1–20).
3. GOD IS PRESENT IN THE PROCESS OF YOUR STRUGGLES
God does not abandon you in the storm; He walks with you through it.
a) He is a very present help in times of trouble
Psalm 46:1 affirms that God is not far away but close when we need Him most.
b) You are not alone, even when you feel forsaken
God promised never to leave nor forsake His children (Hebrews 13:5).
c) Divine strength is made perfect in your weakness
In hard times, we experience God's sustaining grace (2 Corinthians 12:9).
d) God’s presence is our security, not the absence of problems
Isaiah 43:2 declares that even when we walk through fire and water, He is with us.
Biblical Example: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were not delivered from the fire—but God walked with them in it (Daniel 3:23–25).
4. FAITH GROWS STRONGER IN THE FURNACE OF AFFLICTION
Trials test and stretch our faith, moving us from shallow belief to deep trust.
a) Trials teach us to depend on God and not ourselves
When we are weak, He is strong (2 Corinthians 1:9).
b) Faith is purified like gold through fiery trials
1 Peter 1:7 likens our faith to gold refined by fire.
c) Affliction strengthens spiritual muscles
Each trial gives us experience and endurance for the next battle.
d) Faith developed in trials is unshakable in triumph
When you've seen God bring you through, you trust Him without fear.
Biblical Example: Job lost everything, but his faith endured. In the end, he saw God more clearly and was restored double (Job 42:10).
5. VICTORY COMES THROUGH ENDURANCE, NOT ESCAPE
God’s goal is not to get us out quickly, but to grow us deeply.
a) Breakthroughs come after endurance, not before
Galatians 6:9 urges us not to give up, for we will reap if we faint not.
b) Patience is a fruit that grows only in pressure
Endurance produces character and hope that does not disappoint (Romans 5:3-5).
c) God trains warriors, not weaklings
Your endurance in trials proves your strength in God.
d) God gives grace to go through, not just to get out
His grace is sufficient to sustain you in all seasons.
Biblical Example: Jesus endured the cross for the joy set before Him, teaching us that enduring pain leads to eternal glory (Hebrews 12:2).
CONCLUSION:
Whatever you're going through is not the end—it’s the process. Growth often hides in the soil of affliction. Do not curse the season you are in; rather, lean into God and allow Him to mould you. You are growing through what you go through.
Trust the hand of the Potter. He is shaping something glorious in you. One day, you will look back and thank God not only for bringing you out but for all He did in you while you were in it.
PRAYER POINTS:
1. Lord, help me to see Your purpose in my pain.
2. Father, give me grace to endure every season of trial.
3. Strengthen my faith to grow through what I’m going through.
4. Let every affliction in my life birth promotion and purpose.
5. Lord, teach me to trust You more in times of testing.
6. Uproot every seed of bitterness or discouragement from my heart.
7. Let Your presence carry me through every fire and storm.
8. Mould my character through every challenge I face.
9. Turn every test into a testimony that glorifies You.
10. Use my experiences to be a blessing and encouragement to others.
