Sermons on Try Harder:

The Way Up Is The Way Down Series

Contributed by Freddy Fritz on Dec 8, 2005

Many people want to see changes taking place in their lives. The usual prescription given today is, "Just try harder!" But that doesn’t produce true, genuine, lasting life-transformation. In James 4:6-10 James teaches how God changes a person.

Scripture I once read a Peanuts comic strip where Lucy told Charlie Brown that she would hold the football for him to kick. But when he ran up to kick the ball, she pulled it away. Charlie Brown went flying through the air and fell flat on his back. Well, one day Lucy went up to Charlie Brown and ...read more

Scripture: James 4:6-10

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

2019 Is Gone New Year Coming

Contributed by Dr.w.samuel Legon on Dec 27, 2019

Don't look back look up.

2019 is gone new year coming As you think back things you want to leave in the passed. Changes in the world. Changes in our body. Changes in our family. We need to look for a new chance to take place. Put the past in the past. Don’t look back have a new out look. Today is a new day try to ...read more

Scripture: Luke 16:13

Denomination: Baptist

Have You Been Crushed? You And God Can Handle This!

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Jul 2, 2016

We look at the goal of the enemy is to bring us to destruction... God can reverse this process and restore all that has been lost.

HAVE YOU BEEN CRUSHED... ??? WE CAN OVERCOME THIS PROBLEM. THIS PROBLEM IS NOTHING TO GOD... By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com DESTRUCTION: The act or process of damaging something so badly that it can no longer exists or can not be repaired. To utterly destroy. Ruin. Understand ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 107:20

Denomination: Assembly Of God

"The Bigger The Ego, The Harder The Fall"

Contributed by Ken Harris on Feb 15, 2009

The purpose of this sermon is to motivate the hearers to affirm to others that miraculous things occur in the lives of believers when they humble themselves, but pride (and a bad attitude) will cause them to spiritually crash and burn.

2 Kings 5:9-14 (ESV) Proverb 16:18 (MSG) 15 February 2009 U.S. Army Chaplain (MAJ) Ken Harris Fortress Chapel F.O.B. Sykes Tall-afar, Iraq BIG IDEA: Humility will cause miraculous things to occur in the lives of believers, but pride will cause them to spiritually crash and burn. ...read more

Scripture: 2 Kings 5:9-14

Denomination: Pentecostal

The Mind That Holds Us Together

Contributed by David Dunn on Jan 23, 2026

Unity is not preserved by control or agreement, but by shared orientation toward Christ, whose humility frees us from grasping and teaches us how to trust. Unity does not hold when we try harder to manage one another — it holds when we remain oriented toward Christ and trust God with the outcome.

Introduction — When Unity Becomes Fragile There are moments in the life of a church when unity doesn’t collapse dramatically. It doesn’t split. It doesn’t fracture publicly. No one storms out. No vote is taken. No announcement is made. It simply… thins. The room still fills. The hymns are still ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:5-11, Philippians 2:12-15, John 5:19, Matthew 11:28-29, Romans 15:5-6  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

When Trying Stops, Doing Starts

Contributed by Rodney V Johnson on Sep 9, 2023

Do you know the word "trying" appears once in the Bible and it's not about attempting to do something and failing? Trying has become "the" excuse as to why we fail to do what God has called, empowered and commanded us to do.

When Trying Stops Doing Starts Scripture: James 1:3; John 10:10; Mark 8:22-26; 11:22-24 The title of my message this morning is “When Trying Stops, Doing Starts.” I am trying! I am trying to do better! I am trying harder! I am trying to stop! I am trying to start! I am trying, I am ...read more

Scripture: James 1:3, John 10:10, Mark 8:22-26

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Trying Of Our Faith

Contributed by Gerry Pratt on Apr 24, 2002

Encouragement and help in facing overwhelmin trials

We aren’t so unlike the men and women of old. A. As human beings they had the same temptations. 1. As a matter of fact, the men and women of old did not have a present and living Holy Spirit of God in residence. a. It is this Holy Spirit who empowers us to rise above ...read more

Scripture: Job 1:13-22

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Beloved, Try The Spirits

Contributed by Timothy Shumer on Apr 28, 2002

In Ch.1 John established that we have fellowship with the Father through the Son, and we demonstrate the reality of that fellowship: to the world; and to our self (assurance) - by living a holy life. In ch.2 & 3 we enlarged on the idea of the assurance of

A habit of devout fellowship with God is the spring of all our life, and the strength of it. <Henry Edward Manning, British Cardinal, 1808-1892> + That should be the goal of our Christian walk + And that was our stated reason for starting this series from 1 John + [1:3] = Horizontal AND vertical ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 4:1-6

Denomination: Baptist

The Trying Of Your Faith

Contributed by Richard Tow on Apr 9, 2006

How to respond to hardships and disappointments and actually benefit from the process.

The Trying of Your Faith 1 Peter 1:1-9[1] 8-07-05 Intro During our teaching from the book of Judges[2] we talked a lot about trouble that comes as a consequence of sin. The recurring cycle in that book involved God sending trouble to correct Israel’s disobedience –the chastening of the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:1-9

Denomination: Charismatic

Trying To Avoid The Mountains?

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Jun 13, 2007

Lot tried to avoid his mountain. Often we look for easy, downhill journeys. Sometimes that mountain might have a purpose. Let us look at Sinai,Moriah,Carmel,Nebo and the mountains Jesus faced.

QUIT AVOIDING THE MOUNTAINS! DO WE UNDERSTAND THE ROLE OF MOUNTAINS? By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com I. ABRAHAM HAD A NEPHEW THAT DID NOT LIKE MOUNTAINS. GOD COMMANDED LOT TO FLEE TO THE MOUNTAINS. LOT HAD EVERY EXCUSE IN THE BOOK TO AVOID HIS MOUNTAIN CLIMB. A. GOD HAS A PLAN FOR ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 19:17-20

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Let's Try That Again Series

Contributed by Ryan Akers on Sep 2, 2010

We all run, we all disobey, we all fall short but in His grace God grants us a second chance just as He did Jonah.

I Am Jonah Part 3: Let’s Try That Again Pastor Ryan Akers Jonah 3 3rd week of 4 of our current series entitled I Am Jonah. For those of you who don’t know, Jonah is a prophet of God who went on the run when God commissioned him to go preach a message of repentance to the wicked people ...read more

Scripture: Jonah 3:1-10

Denomination: Wesleyan

Training Vs Trying Series

Contributed by Jeffery Anselmi on Sep 4, 2015

If we are going to grow spiritually, we must move from just trying to grow, to training for growth.

INTRODUCTION • SLIDE #1 • Where are you spiritually today? Are you growing, is your faith exciting to you or are you bored and disconnected? • There are times when Christians struggle to grow in their faith. • Over time we see people who were excited about Jesus walk away. ...read more

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Trying To Be Like Jesus

Contributed by Juan Lane on Dec 8, 2005

When we try to be like Jesus people around us are not going to understand

Trying To Be Like Jesus Scripture Reference: Matthew 14:22-33 (KJV) 22 And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. 23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 14:22-33

Denomination: Pentecostal

Trying Times - "Increase" Series

Contributed by Dr. Gale A. Ragan-Reid on Jun 22, 2013

A personal BEST story fitted against the pitfalls of greed, in reflection the presence of God and the salvation history of woman.

Trying Times - “INCREASE” by Dr. Gale A. Ragan-Reid (5/29/2013, 6/1/2013, 6/15/2013, 6/18/2013, 6/22/2013) “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer” (Psalms 19:14, KJV [God's ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 19:1-14

Denomination: Friends

Trying Times - "Wait" Series

Contributed by Dr. Gale A. Ragan-Reid on Jun 29, 2013

A comparative of facing and coping with waiting to receive what we prayed for, considering modern times and the daily faith used against the wholeness of the faith of the fathers of old until Christ Jesus.

Trying Times - “WAIT” by Dr. Gale A. Ragan-Reid (5/29/2013, 6/1/2013, 6/15/2013, 6/18/2013, 6/22/2013, 6/29/2013) “If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come” Job 14:14, KJV [Job waiteth for his ...read more

Scripture: Job 14:1-22

Denomination: Friends