Today on Bold Steps, Mark Jobe begins a lesson on finding strength and finding your identity.

Today on Bold Steps, Mark Jobe begins a lesson on finding strength and finding your identity.

If the enemy can make you doubt your position of being redeemed before him, you're calling before God. How he sees you. How he views you. Then he already has you spinning in a viral fashion into the vortex of discouragement, disillusionment, confusion. It's about identity.

If the enemy can make you doubt your position of being redeemed before him, you're calling before God. How he sees you. How he views you. Then he already has you spinning in a viral fashion into the vortex of discouragement, disillusionment, confusion. It's about identity.

Welcome to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. Mark is senior pastor of New Life Community Church in Chicago and president of Moody Bible Institute. I'm Wayne Shepherd and Mark. This is an exciting time in Chicago and at Moody. Today, tomorrow is the first day of the 2025 NBA spring semester.

Welcome to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. Mark is senior pastor of New Life Community Church in Chicago and president of Moody Bible Institute. I'm Wayne Shepherd and Mark. This is an exciting time in Chicago and at Moody. Today, tomorrow is the first day of the 2025 NBA spring semester.

Yeah. And, Wayne, it's always so exciting to gather for our first chapel of the year. and the enthusiasm of the students. There's 54 different countries represented on campus and they come from all over the place. Brand new year, brand new semester. It's an electric place to be in. Last year at this time, I gave this message reminding the students that they will be tempted and their strength isn't in their own power. But when they're tempted, it's in their weakness that they're strong in God.

Yeah. And, Wayne, it's always so exciting to gather for our first chapel of the year. and the enthusiasm of the students. There's 54 different countries represented on campus and they come from all over the place. Brand new year, brand new semester. It's an electric place to be in. Last year at this time, I gave this message reminding the students that they will be tempted and their strength isn't in their own power. But when they're tempted, it's in their weakness that they're strong in God.

Boy, this message is not just for students. It's for all of us, isn't it? So let's listen. How to be strong when you feel weak.

Boy, this message is not just for students. It's for all of us, isn't it? So let's listen. How to be strong when you feel weak.

I've been thinking a lot lately about how to be stronger when you're feeling weak. You know, sometimes we view weakness as something undesirable. Something that will be. Contrary to how we succeed. But as I study Scripture. As I look at the life of Jesus, as I see some of the principles in Scripture, I'm not so sure that's true. In fact, I believe that sometimes when we're weakest. That's where God wants us to be. That sometimes it's in our weakness that more happens. Sometimes it's in our weakness that the power of God is manifest the most. Sometimes you may be starting the semester feeling extremely weak, maybe physically weak, emotionally weak, financially weak, whatever it may be. And I just want to encourage you because maybe it's exactly where you need to be. Maybe it's exactly how God wants you right now, at this time, so that he can accomplish what he wants to accomplish in your life. Because sometimes when we're weakest is when God is able to work the strongest. So today, I want to talk to you about how to be strong when you're feeling weak. Lessons from Jesus. Uh, Matthew chapter four is a very interesting passage because it deals with the temptation of Jesus. And I'm going to begin reading the first verses of Matthew chapter four. It says, Then Jesus was led up by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting 40 days and 40 nights, he was hungry. That's an understatement. And the tempter came to him and said, if you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread. But he answered, it is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. So I want you to see a couple of things about this passage that grabbed my attention recently. You know, Jesus had just been baptized. We see in Matthew chapter three and also in Luke chapter three, you know, Jesus had lived pretty much incognito. You have a lot of celebration, a lot of passages about his birth and then silence. There's one little story when he's 12 years old about him being in the temple. His parents forget him. Makes me feel better as a parent. Um, they leave him behind and then you know the story. And then silence again until he's 30 years old. For 30 years, basically, Jesus lived incognito. His time had not yet come. Had a couple of siblings. Lived in Nazareth. People didn't really know who he was. People didn't really weren't aware. I mean, Mary and Joseph and a few around him understood. But he's pretty much incognito until he goes down to the waters of baptism. His second cousin, John, the guy that did a lot of baptism baptisms. So they called him John the Baptizer, uh, says, hey, I'm not worthy to baptize you. Jesus gives them the go ahead. He goes into the water. And do you remember what happens when he comes out of the water? A dove descends upon him. And here it goes. The first visible, audible, massive, thunderous proclamation that this is the Messiah is revealed from heaven. And God says in Luke it says, you are my beloved son, whom I love and whom I am well pleased. Everybody around heard it. That marks the beginning of Jesus public ministry. At my church, we had a couple people got baptized this past Sunday, and, um, I reminded them, aren't you glad you're not getting baptized in Lake Michigan today? That would be the real test. But, you know, baptism is, uh, is a public declaration that I'm a follower of Jesus the Christ. I've died to my to my old self, I'm resurrected anew. It's like what marriage is to a dating couple. It's the public declaration that they are married. And so people knew it before it was there. But these are this is the public proclamation. Baptism is like that. And then suddenly think about this. Suddenly Jesus knew he's the Son of God. So he knows these things. Jesus knew that he was going to go into the most severe time of testing that he had experienced. Until that time, he would be tested by the devil in ways that he had never been tested before. And what does Jesus do? 40 days of no eating. Wait a second. Jesus, I thought you would do the opposite. Gather a group around you. You know, get strong. Get physically fit. Say, come on, devil, bring it on. I got my posse here. My spiritual posse. I'm. I'm connected to people. No, he goes alone into the desert. This is a desolate place. This isn't an oasis. There's no trees and beautiful little streams and grassy hills. This is an arid, lonely desert. And Jesus on purpose goes alone in 40 days. In fact, it seems sort of counterintuitive that Jesus would make himself weak before the biggest testing of his life. After 40 days. And by the way, just in case you think that somehow he was ambushed by the enemy, I want you to notice the the the verse it says Jesus was led. By whom? By the spirit capital s Holy Spirit. It was God who led him to the desert to fast and pray, to experience the greatest testing of his life. He was led by the spirit, you know. The Bible is clear that God never tempts us to evil. But God can allow us to go to places that were tested and tempted. He is never the author of evil. James is very clear about that in James chapter one, verse 13, when tempted, no one should say, God is tempting me. For God cannot be tempted with evil, nor does he tempt anyone. But just because you're in a place of testing, just because you're in a place of temptation, it doesn't mean that you're out of the will of God or somehow that you've missed the mark. Sometimes, at your weakest point, by the Spirit of God, led by God, he leads you to a place where you are severely tempted and tested. Oftentimes at the beginning of something, the beginning of Jesus ministry. You're at the beginning of a semester. Sometimes it's in the beginning that the biggest testing comes. You would expect it to be a jubilation, a great time. But I think if the enemy can derail you at the beginning, he can affect the rest. So I just want to warn you, just kind of let you know in advance that at the beginning, sometimes the testing is more intense. This was the beginning of Jesus ministry. The enemy says to Jesus, verse three, and the tempter came to him and said, if you are the Son of God. I want us. I want you to note the the essence of most temptation in Luke chapter, in Luke chapter three. What was God's declaration over Jesus? The main point of the thunderous voice from heaven. What did he say? this is my son or you are my son? In three of these temptations, Satan deliberately uses those words as if he's doubting if you are the Son of God. It's interesting that, uh, that the enemy tends to put into question the very things that God has declared over us, the very things that are most prominent in God's mind. The enemy tends to put into question, put into doubt. A lot of temptation really is about identity. If you look at the three temptations that Jesus experienced in this passage, at the core it's identity.

I've been thinking a lot lately about how to be stronger when you're feeling weak. You know, sometimes we view weakness as something undesirable. Something that will be. Contrary to how we succeed. But as I study Scripture. As I look at the life of Jesus, as I see some of the principles in Scripture, I'm not so sure that's true. In fact, I believe that sometimes when we're weakest. That's where God wants us to be. That sometimes it's in our weakness that more happens. Sometimes it's in our weakness that the power of God is manifest the most. Sometimes you may be starting the semester feeling extremely weak, maybe physically weak, emotionally weak, financially weak, whatever it may be. And I just want to encourage you because maybe it's exactly where you need to be. Maybe it's exactly how God wants you right now, at this time, so that he can accomplish what he wants to accomplish in your life. Because sometimes when we're weakest is when God is able to work the strongest. So today, I want to talk to you about how to be strong when you're feeling weak. Lessons from Jesus. Uh, Matthew chapter four is a very interesting passage because it deals with the temptation of Jesus. And I'm going to begin reading the first verses of Matthew chapter four. It says, Then Jesus was led up by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting 40 days and 40 nights, he was hungry. That's an understatement. And the tempter came to him and said, if you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread. But he answered, it is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. So I want you to see a couple of things about this passage that grabbed my attention recently. You know, Jesus had just been baptized. We see in Matthew chapter three and also in Luke chapter three, you know, Jesus had lived pretty much incognito. You have a lot of celebration, a lot of passages about his birth and then silence. There's one little story when he's 12 years old about him being in the temple. His parents forget him. Makes me feel better as a parent. Um, they leave him behind and then you know the story. And then silence again until he's 30 years old. For 30 years, basically, Jesus lived incognito. His time had not yet come. Had a couple of siblings. Lived in Nazareth. People didn't really know who he was. People didn't really weren't aware. I mean, Mary and Joseph and a few around him understood. But he's pretty much incognito until he goes down to the waters of baptism. His second cousin, John, the guy that did a lot of baptism baptisms. So they called him John the Baptizer, uh, says, hey, I'm not worthy to baptize you. Jesus gives them the go ahead. He goes into the water. And do you remember what happens when he comes out of the water? A dove descends upon him. And here it goes. The first visible, audible, massive, thunderous proclamation that this is the Messiah is revealed from heaven. And God says in Luke it says, you are my beloved son, whom I love and whom I am well pleased. Everybody around heard it. That marks the beginning of Jesus public ministry. At my church, we had a couple people got baptized this past Sunday, and, um, I reminded them, aren't you glad you're not getting baptized in Lake Michigan today? That would be the real test. But, you know, baptism is, uh, is a public declaration that I'm a follower of Jesus the Christ. I've died to my to my old self, I'm resurrected anew. It's like what marriage is to a dating couple. It's the public declaration that they are married. And so people knew it before it was there. But these are this is the public proclamation. Baptism is like that. And then suddenly think about this. Suddenly Jesus knew he's the Son of God. So he knows these things. Jesus knew that he was going to go into the most severe time of testing that he had experienced. Until that time, he would be tested by the devil in ways that he had never been tested before. And what does Jesus do? 40 days of no eating. Wait a second. Jesus, I thought you would do the opposite. Gather a group around you. You know, get strong. Get physically fit. Say, come on, devil, bring it on. I got my posse here. My spiritual posse. I'm. I'm connected to people. No, he goes alone into the desert. This is a desolate place. This isn't an oasis. There's no trees and beautiful little streams and grassy hills. This is an arid, lonely desert. And Jesus on purpose goes alone in 40 days. In fact, it seems sort of counterintuitive that Jesus would make himself weak before the biggest testing of his life. After 40 days. And by the way, just in case you think that somehow he was ambushed by the enemy, I want you to notice the the the verse it says Jesus was led. By whom? By the spirit capital s Holy Spirit. It was God who led him to the desert to fast and pray, to experience the greatest testing of his life. He was led by the spirit, you know. The Bible is clear that God never tempts us to evil. But God can allow us to go to places that were tested and tempted. He is never the author of evil. James is very clear about that in James chapter one, verse 13, when tempted, no one should say, God is tempting me. For God cannot be tempted with evil, nor does he tempt anyone. But just because you're in a place of testing, just because you're in a place of temptation, it doesn't mean that you're out of the will of God or somehow that you've missed the mark. Sometimes, at your weakest point, by the Spirit of God, led by God, he leads you to a place where you are severely tempted and tested. Oftentimes at the beginning of something, the beginning of Jesus ministry. You're at the beginning of a semester. Sometimes it's in the beginning that the biggest testing comes. You would expect it to be a jubilation, a great time. But I think if the enemy can derail you at the beginning, he can affect the rest. So I just want to warn you, just kind of let you know in advance that at the beginning, sometimes the testing is more intense. This was the beginning of Jesus ministry. The enemy says to Jesus, verse three, and the tempter came to him and said, if you are the Son of God. I want us. I want you to note the the essence of most temptation in Luke chapter, in Luke chapter three. What was God's declaration over Jesus? The main point of the thunderous voice from heaven. What did he say? this is my son or you are my son? In three of these temptations, Satan deliberately uses those words as if he's doubting if you are the Son of God. It's interesting that, uh, that the enemy tends to put into question the very things that God has declared over us, the very things that are most prominent in God's mind. The enemy tends to put into question, put into doubt. A lot of temptation really is about identity. If you look at the three temptations that Jesus experienced in this passage, at the core it's identity.

You're listening to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe and Empowering Message today titled How to Be Strong When You Feel Weak. We'll talk more about identity in just a moment, but let me remind you, there's much more to explore with this ministry by going online to our to our website. Bold steps.org. In fact, Mark, one of the most encouraging resources we offer is your bold step or weekly available free. Thousands of people have subscribed to this.

You're listening to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe and Empowering Message today titled How to Be Strong When You Feel Weak. We'll talk more about identity in just a moment, but let me remind you, there's much more to explore with this ministry by going online to our to our website. Bold steps.org. In fact, Mark, one of the most encouraging resources we offer is your bold step or weekly available free. Thousands of people have subscribed to this.

Yeah, we have over 7000 people that have subscribed. It's a free email that comes out reminding us to keep our focus on Jesus. Yes. And by the way, can I say that we are always encouraged to get responses from people telling us what God is doing in their life. And Wayne, we got one recently, right?

Yeah, we have over 7000 people that have subscribed. It's a free email that comes out reminding us to keep our focus on Jesus. Yes. And by the way, can I say that we are always encouraged to get responses from people telling us what God is doing in their life. And Wayne, we got one recently, right?

Yeah. This comes from Megan who wrote to us and she shared this. I love listening to Bold Steps to start my day. The messages keep me centered on God and always seem to be speaking about something in my life. My husband is in the military, and it's nice to have a church on the go when we move to each new home. Please pray for us, Megan and Alan, that we can help lost soldiers find God's salvation. Also, we are trying for a baby exclamation point and would love to have prayers for God to help us get to a place where we can be able to succeed in growing our family. Thank you so much for using your using your gift of preaching God's Word to the world. That's a very sweet note, isn't it?

Yeah. This comes from Megan who wrote to us and she shared this. I love listening to Bold Steps to start my day. The messages keep me centered on God and always seem to be speaking about something in my life. My husband is in the military, and it's nice to have a church on the go when we move to each new home. Please pray for us, Megan and Alan, that we can help lost soldiers find God's salvation. Also, we are trying for a baby exclamation point and would love to have prayers for God to help us get to a place where we can be able to succeed in growing our family. Thank you so much for using your using your gift of preaching God's Word to the world. That's a very sweet note, isn't it?

It is. So I want to say, first of all, Megan, thank you for you and your husband service in the military. Um, I have a son that's a first lieutenant, also in the military. So I can relate to that world. And, uh, so encouraged that you're able to, as you move around, still stay connected to the word. But I want to pause and pray for you, Megan, right now. I do believe that, uh, God is the one that opens and closes the womb. So, father, we pray for Megan and her husband. God, you know, the desire of their heart is to have a child. You've put that maternal desire and instinct in her. And we join in praying that you would open Megan's womb. Father, we pray, father, for the baby that they're asking for. Um, desiring in their life God. And so we just ask that you would, uh, move. And if there's something that needs to needs to be healed if there's some physical impediment. Father, we pray that you would take away those obstacles. And we ask this in Jesus name. And Lord, we pray for the soldiers that Megan and her husband are reaching out to that are in a difficult place sometimes, and they away from home and are open to you. I pray that you would give them great conversations and openness to the gospel. And we pray this in Jesus name. Amen.

It is. So I want to say, first of all, Megan, thank you for you and your husband service in the military. Um, I have a son that's a first lieutenant, also in the military. So I can relate to that world. And, uh, so encouraged that you're able to, as you move around, still stay connected to the word. But I want to pause and pray for you, Megan, right now. I do believe that, uh, God is the one that opens and closes the womb. So, father, we pray for Megan and her husband. God, you know, the desire of their heart is to have a child. You've put that maternal desire and instinct in her. And we join in praying that you would open Megan's womb. Father, we pray, father, for the baby that they're asking for. Um, desiring in their life God. And so we just ask that you would, uh, move. And if there's something that needs to needs to be healed if there's some physical impediment. Father, we pray that you would take away those obstacles. And we ask this in Jesus name. And Lord, we pray for the soldiers that Megan and her husband are reaching out to that are in a difficult place sometimes, and they away from home and are open to you. I pray that you would give them great conversations and openness to the gospel. And we pray this in Jesus name. Amen.

Thank you Mark. You know, earlier we mentioned The Bold Stepper Weekly. Any listener can sign up for it right now at Bold Steps. Now let's get back into today's message from Mark titled How to Be Strong When You Feel Weak. We're looking at the three temptations Satan offered to Jesus.

Thank you Mark. You know, earlier we mentioned The Bold Stepper Weekly. Any listener can sign up for it right now at Bold Steps. Now let's get back into today's message from Mark titled How to Be Strong When You Feel Weak. We're looking at the three temptations Satan offered to Jesus.

If you are the Son of God, turn this stone into bread. If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from the temple. And then the third temptation. Satan doesn't say if you are the Son of God, but it's about identity. Hey, if you want all of this, if people are going to think you're somebody, come and bow before me. You see, I think one of the greatest challenges that you face in fighting temptation is to not put in question that which God has already spoken about your identity, that which God has already declared over you, spoken into you, made clear about you. Because ultimately, most temptation that is really derails us has to do with our perception of who we are and who we are before God, our position and our perception of who we are before God. If the enemy can make you doubt your sonship, your daughterhood. If the enemy can make you doubt your position of being redeemed before him, your calling before God, how he sees you, how he views Who's you? Uh, how he has sealed you into the day of redemption. If he can make you doubt your personhood in light of God, then he already has you spinning in a viral fashion into the vortex of discouragement, disillusionment, confusion. It's about identity. The tempter comes to Jesus and says, if you are the Son of God, then command these stones to become loaves of bread. You think to yourself, well, why would that be sin? I mean, Jesus had the power, right? I was preaching at a Spanish service, and most of the people in the service that I was preaching at this Sunday, I was preaching in Spanish. They were from Venezuela. And so when I said, Jesus turn this into bread, they kind of looked at me. I said, okay, let me, let me bring it to the Venezuelan culture. If Jesus had been a Venezuelan, Satan would have said, turn that rock into arepas because that's the Venezuelan. It's the basic food. There was nothing wrong. Why would it be wrong for Jesus to use his power to satisfy a need, when he definitely felt a deep need at that time? Well, the essence of this was that God never allows us, nor Jesus, to use his power to escape an uncomfortable situation that's out of the timing of God. Let me say that again. Three years later, 36 months later, someone would say to Jesus, hanging on a cross, blood dripping down his hands, his forehead nails pierced in his in his feet and his hands. They would say, if you are the Son of God, then you should have power to come off that cross. If you are the Son of God, you should have power to say to that that rock turn into a piece of bread. In other words, you can end your discomfort or suffering. Now you have the power to do so. Can I tell you something? Sometimes we live for a greater purpose, and the greater purpose that God has called us to leads us to discomfort and sometimes suffering that we are not to escape out of, but we are to endure by the power of God, even though we have the power to get out of it. 40 days of fasting is a long time. Our church has been in the habit of doing fasting and prayer for quite a few years. But in 1995, Bill bright was encouraging a lot of people around the nation to fast and pray for 40 days. And so our church decided that we would challenge as many people as possible to do a 40 day fast. And so there was about maybe 40 people in the church that did a pretty heavy fast of just water and juices for 40 days. And I tell you what, weird things happen in a 40 day of fasting. And I had one lady that told me that she literally was biting her pillow open because she was dreaming about hamburgers, woke up in the middle of the night dreaming about hamburgers chewing on her pillow. I remember about halfway through that fast, thinking to myself, I'm never going to make it. This is like crazy feeling more and more weak. You become sensitized to the smells of food around you. But there's a weakness. There's a there's a weakness about your body. There's a I don't you're sensitive to cold. You're you're just feeling extremely, extremely tired a long percentage of the time. And it is brutal. Jesus was at that time when God was calling him to his greatest testing. When he was the weakest, he was also the strongest. And I know I want you to notice what Jesus says. He says it all three times, by the way, and I love it. He says it is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. It is written. It is written. Three times it is written. Why was Jesus saying it's written? Because Jesus was quoting the authoritative, inspired, infallible, inerrant Word of God. He was quoting Scripture to the enemy. In other words, he was saying, I know this is what you say, but I go back to the truth. What I love about this place is that no matter what degree you get, you're going to get a lot of Bible and theology. Why? Because we want you to know it is written. Yeah. I want you to notice what Jesus did not say. He did not say. I feel like today. He did not say. My friends tell me. He did not say. Culture says. He did not say. Well, you know, intuitively, I think Jesus went back to the truth. It is written. Why? Because. Can I tell you something? The ultimate definition of immaturity is when you live your life by. I feel if you live your life by, I feel not by what is. It is written. Then I'm going to tell you you are a roller coaster. You think that God is close one day, and you feel like you're on your way to hell the next day. One day you feel like the presence of God is there. One another day you think maybe God. Maybe. I never knew God in the beginning. Because if you live your life by what you feel, then one day you're going to feel it, and the next day you're not going to feel it. Jesus said it is written. One of the greatest definitions of maturity is beginning to live our life by what is declared over us. Over us, not what we feel. Can I tell you something? Listen to me. This is real important. Some of you today feel like you're under condemnation. It was hard for you to worship God today because you know the sinfulness of your heart. You know what you watch yesterday? You know what happened over break. Listen. And you feel a condemnation about your soul. Can I tell you what the Bible says? There is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus. No condemnation. Now, your sin may affect your relationship with God, but there is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus because you are positioned in righteousness before the father. Not, I feel. Can I tell you something else? You say, well, I don't, I don't know. I came to chapel today. I don't feel the presence of God. I don't know, I don't feel. Listen, the Bible says he will never leave you nor forsake you. The you. The Bible says that you are sealed with the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption. So it doesn't matter how you feel. Sometimes you need to tell your feelings. It is written.

If you are the Son of God, turn this stone into bread. If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from the temple. And then the third temptation. Satan doesn't say if you are the Son of God, but it's about identity. Hey, if you want all of this, if people are going to think you're somebody, come and bow before me. You see, I think one of the greatest challenges that you face in fighting temptation is to not put in question that which God has already spoken about your identity, that which God has already declared over you, spoken into you, made clear about you. Because ultimately, most temptation that is really derails us has to do with our perception of who we are and who we are before God, our position and our perception of who we are before God. If the enemy can make you doubt your sonship, your daughterhood. If the enemy can make you doubt your position of being redeemed before him, your calling before God, how he sees you, how he views Who's you? Uh, how he has sealed you into the day of redemption. If he can make you doubt your personhood in light of God, then he already has you spinning in a viral fashion into the vortex of discouragement, disillusionment, confusion. It's about identity. The tempter comes to Jesus and says, if you are the Son of God, then command these stones to become loaves of bread. You think to yourself, well, why would that be sin? I mean, Jesus had the power, right? I was preaching at a Spanish service, and most of the people in the service that I was preaching at this Sunday, I was preaching in Spanish. They were from Venezuela. And so when I said, Jesus turn this into bread, they kind of looked at me. I said, okay, let me, let me bring it to the Venezuelan culture. If Jesus had been a Venezuelan, Satan would have said, turn that rock into arepas because that's the Venezuelan. It's the basic food. There was nothing wrong. Why would it be wrong for Jesus to use his power to satisfy a need, when he definitely felt a deep need at that time? Well, the essence of this was that God never allows us, nor Jesus, to use his power to escape an uncomfortable situation that's out of the timing of God. Let me say that again. Three years later, 36 months later, someone would say to Jesus, hanging on a cross, blood dripping down his hands, his forehead nails pierced in his in his feet and his hands. They would say, if you are the Son of God, then you should have power to come off that cross. If you are the Son of God, you should have power to say to that that rock turn into a piece of bread. In other words, you can end your discomfort or suffering. Now you have the power to do so. Can I tell you something? Sometimes we live for a greater purpose, and the greater purpose that God has called us to leads us to discomfort and sometimes suffering that we are not to escape out of, but we are to endure by the power of God, even though we have the power to get out of it. 40 days of fasting is a long time. Our church has been in the habit of doing fasting and prayer for quite a few years. But in 1995, Bill bright was encouraging a lot of people around the nation to fast and pray for 40 days. And so our church decided that we would challenge as many people as possible to do a 40 day fast. And so there was about maybe 40 people in the church that did a pretty heavy fast of just water and juices for 40 days. And I tell you what, weird things happen in a 40 day of fasting. And I had one lady that told me that she literally was biting her pillow open because she was dreaming about hamburgers, woke up in the middle of the night dreaming about hamburgers chewing on her pillow. I remember about halfway through that fast, thinking to myself, I'm never going to make it. This is like crazy feeling more and more weak. You become sensitized to the smells of food around you. But there's a weakness. There's a there's a weakness about your body. There's a I don't you're sensitive to cold. You're you're just feeling extremely, extremely tired a long percentage of the time. And it is brutal. Jesus was at that time when God was calling him to his greatest testing. When he was the weakest, he was also the strongest. And I know I want you to notice what Jesus says. He says it all three times, by the way, and I love it. He says it is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. It is written. It is written. Three times it is written. Why was Jesus saying it's written? Because Jesus was quoting the authoritative, inspired, infallible, inerrant Word of God. He was quoting Scripture to the enemy. In other words, he was saying, I know this is what you say, but I go back to the truth. What I love about this place is that no matter what degree you get, you're going to get a lot of Bible and theology. Why? Because we want you to know it is written. Yeah. I want you to notice what Jesus did not say. He did not say. I feel like today. He did not say. My friends tell me. He did not say. Culture says. He did not say. Well, you know, intuitively, I think Jesus went back to the truth. It is written. Why? Because. Can I tell you something? The ultimate definition of immaturity is when you live your life by. I feel if you live your life by, I feel not by what is. It is written. Then I'm going to tell you you are a roller coaster. You think that God is close one day, and you feel like you're on your way to hell the next day. One day you feel like the presence of God is there. One another day you think maybe God. Maybe. I never knew God in the beginning. Because if you live your life by what you feel, then one day you're going to feel it, and the next day you're not going to feel it. Jesus said it is written. One of the greatest definitions of maturity is beginning to live our life by what is declared over us. Over us, not what we feel. Can I tell you something? Listen to me. This is real important. Some of you today feel like you're under condemnation. It was hard for you to worship God today because you know the sinfulness of your heart. You know what you watch yesterday? You know what happened over break. Listen. And you feel a condemnation about your soul. Can I tell you what the Bible says? There is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus. No condemnation. Now, your sin may affect your relationship with God, but there is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus because you are positioned in righteousness before the father. Not, I feel. Can I tell you something else? You say, well, I don't, I don't know. I came to chapel today. I don't feel the presence of God. I don't know, I don't feel. Listen, the Bible says he will never leave you nor forsake you. The you. The Bible says that you are sealed with the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption. So it doesn't matter how you feel. Sometimes you need to tell your feelings. It is written.

That's Mark job. And today's lesson is titled How to be strong when you feel Weak. You're listening to bold Steps. You know, sometimes part of the reason we struggle with feeling weak is from the battle we face within our own minds. Our fears and doubts and insecurities can block us from pursuing or even seeing the next step we are meant to take. When our thoughts drift into negativity, it's so easy to lose our spiritual bearings and veer off the path God has for us. But this month's bold step gift is like a compass to reorient your mind toward the abundant life Christ promises. When we align our thinking with his perspective, it's a book titled Winning the War in Your Mind. Pastor Craig Groeschel exposes the lies that lead to toxic thinking. And he reveals how to experience the peace of mind that comes from Christ. Request this powerful resource today and break free from the negative thought patterns and renew your mind in truth. We have a copy just for you and we'll send it to your home. When you give a gift of any amount to support bold steps like Karen and Edgar and Marcos and Vincenza did. Just call us today at (800) 356-6639 or go online to Bold Steps. You can also send your gift and request this book in the mail. Simply write to us at bold steps. 820 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, IL 60,006 ten. Now, if you've been blessed by this program's teaching, why not start 2025 by becoming a bold partner? Your monthly support helps ensure this practical Bible teaching continues to reach listeners every day of the year. Make a fresh commitment to partner with us in bringing God's Word to others, and sign up today at Bold Steps. Plus, when you give a financial gift of $30 or more each month, we'll send you a link for a for a 50% off any selection from the online store at Moody publishers.org, and use it as often as you like. Again, just go to Bold Steps to sign up and become a bold partner today. And if you've got travel plans this year, let me remind you there are a variety of ways you can catch this program while on the road, but the easiest might be the Bold Steps app. Download it today. So when you head out of town to visit family or friends, you won't miss a message. It's available from your app store free of charge. Learn more on our homepage. Bold steps.org. Well, that's all our time we have today. I'm Wayne Shepherd, inviting you to join us again tomorrow for part two of this lesson titled How to Be Strong When You Feel Weak. That's coming up Tuesday on Bold Steps with Mark Jones. Bold steps is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.

That's Mark job. And today's lesson is titled How to be strong when you feel Weak. You're listening to bold Steps. You know, sometimes part of the reason we struggle with feeling weak is from the battle we face within our own minds. Our fears and doubts and insecurities can block us from pursuing or even seeing the next step we are meant to take. When our thoughts drift into negativity, it's so easy to lose our spiritual bearings and veer off the path God has for us. But this month's bold step gift is like a compass to reorient your mind toward the abundant life Christ promises. When we align our thinking with his perspective, it's a book titled Winning the War in Your Mind. Pastor Craig Groeschel exposes the lies that lead to toxic thinking. And he reveals how to experience the peace of mind that comes from Christ. Request this powerful resource today and break free from the negative thought patterns and renew your mind in truth. We have a copy just for you and we'll send it to your home. When you give a gift of any amount to support bold steps like Karen and Edgar and Marcos and Vincenza did. Just call us today at (800) 356-6639 or go online to Bold Steps. You can also send your gift and request this book in the mail. Simply write to us at bold steps. 820 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, IL 60,006 ten. Now, if you've been blessed by this program's teaching, why not start 2025 by becoming a bold partner? Your monthly support helps ensure this practical Bible teaching continues to reach listeners every day of the year. Make a fresh commitment to partner with us in bringing God's Word to others, and sign up today at Bold Steps. Plus, when you give a financial gift of $30 or more each month, we'll send you a link for a for a 50% off any selection from the online store at Moody publishers.org, and use it as often as you like. Again, just go to Bold Steps to sign up and become a bold partner today. And if you've got travel plans this year, let me remind you there are a variety of ways you can catch this program while on the road, but the easiest might be the Bold Steps app. Download it today. So when you head out of town to visit family or friends, you won't miss a message. It's available from your app store free of charge. Learn more on our homepage. Bold steps.org. Well, that's all our time we have today. I'm Wayne Shepherd, inviting you to join us again tomorrow for part two of this lesson titled How to Be Strong When You Feel Weak. That's coming up Tuesday on Bold Steps with Mark Jones. Bold steps is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.