Challenges & Struggles – Walking In Power with Nate Ortiz

Hey everyone this is Nate Ortiz and I want to talk to you about some challenges and struggles

that you need to be facing in your life.

You know I always say it many times but no one is exempt from struggle or challenges in

their life.

And I think when we view our lives in the place of things are going good or they are going

bad or things are for me or against me, we cannot remove this idea of those things.

We feel like well if I am doing great all these good things come to me from doing bad

all these bad things come to me.

But in life there are going to be good things that come to you in bad things.

There has been times where I felt like I am doing everything I need to be doing.

I feel like I am tracking and I feel like I am eating healthy.

I feel like I am just got good people around me, good people pouring into me.

Then you feel like man I got some of these things coming out of nowhere at left field.

Sometimes we come from this place of comfort.

Things are going well, we kind of put our guard down and we feel like you know not that

we are invincible and nothing is going to happen.

But the reality is challenges and troubles come our way even when we expect them.

But second Corinthians chapter 4 in verse 17 it talks about our current suffering, our

current struggles do not compare to the eternal glory that God has for us in heaven.

And it is a good reminder to me, I thought about this that we sometimes can experience

great joys, great pains, but asking ourselves God what are you doing within me and many times

the things that we face, we often can look at these things as they are like this giant

boulder in the room, this thing that is this immovable object.

But really we are to say God you are strengthening me, you are developing me to go on and accomplish

things through getting through this challenge, through this struggle.

And we have to learn how to rely on God.

So God gives us what we need but also we learn how to rely on God.

If we always go through this life we have to be the one to figure it out.

It is a frustrating life.

If we live this life to say God I understand that the current struggles I have do not compare

to the glory that you have for me.

It puts things in perspective.

And so when we think about it in that way it helps bring some understanding, some peace

to our mind that we are not exempt from suffering.

There are people who are just never having issues in their life but there are people who

are saying I am going to continue to move, I am going to continue to develop myself even

when the hardships are coming at me.

And so I remember there is a friend of mine who was running a marathon.

It was an ultra marathon, it was 100 miles.

And he was at mile 75 and he was on the side of the road.

He was getting sick.

He was throwing up and this guy comes in and says, hey, he is running.

He said, no, I am sick.

I am throwing up.

And the guy looks at him and says, hey, he is sitting there or running there.

So he said that motivated him and he got up and just kept running and he finished this

race.

And in this life sometimes when we are filling those challenges, we want to sit down and

just like, these are the reasons I can't continue and we give ourselves an excuse not to

move forward because of the weight that we have.

But there is a glory that this guy felt when he crossed that finish line.

So I finished this 100 mile race that God wants us to experience with him.

That even in the midst of struggles and challenges, we can cross the finish line and say, God,

it was worth it.

And I feel a glory that other people maybe haven't felt in their faith journey because they have

quit or they have given themselves reasons too quit.

So I want to challenge you that in your struggles that you have, continue to push through saying,

God doesn't compare it to what is ahead of me.

But then the verse goes on in 18 and 19 where it talks about that, God is building things

that are unseen within us.

And so, too many times we look at the external things.

I am doing well because I have this or I have this or this is going well.

But what are the unseen things that God is building within you?

What does patience look like?

What does love look like?

What does joy, peace, patience, kindness?

All those things, fruits of the spirit.

What does that look like in your life?

Take a moment to ask yourself today.

What unseen things is God building in you and, too, how is God building those things?

So sometimes you are saying, man, I had this weekly appointment with someone that helps

me grow and develop myself.

I mean, I got this devotional done doing.

I got this Bible plan that I am doing.

What are the unseen things that you are building?

Because those are the things that are most valuable.

Not the things that are seen.

The Bible talks about this.

We can build all these things.

We can accomplish these great feats.

But at the end of the day, what is happening inside of our hearts?

It is going to overflow into the people around us.

So if we are not building these things that are unseen and in private we are mess, or we

just continually just feeding our own motives and what we want to do in our own ambitions

and we are moving away from what God has, we are missing out the fullness of what God wants

to do in our lives.

And so I don't want anyone to miss that.

I don't want anyone to go through this life accomplishing great things.

But then also missing out on the great glory that God has for us in this faith, Jordan

that we have in life.

So wherever you are today, don't let comfort Robbie of this glory that God wants to give.

Don't let just the challenges Robbie of what God wants to do for you.

Take a moment today.

Ask yourself.

God, what challenges am I filling today?

You ask yourself, what challenge am I filling today?

And then ask God, say God, what are you doing with enemy?

So for every challenge, God is doing a greater work in you.

So when you see the challenge, you say what's the greater work that's taking place within

me?

When you see the obstacle, what's the greater work that's taking place within me?

Ask yourself those questions.

But then on the other side of it, it's the same.

What's being built inside of me that people aren't seeing, but I know it because I feel it.

Right?

When you have those temptations coming away and you're able to deny, you're able to push

you to the side.

Those are the things that are unseen that you're able to build and those are important.

So as you think about 2 Corinthians chapter 4, verse 17, and on, understand that you have

the ability within Christ to get through difficult situations.

So you know, one doesn't go your way.

Even when he felt you should went differently, it's not going to compare to the great glory

that God has for the end of your life.

The thing about the lives you impacted, the think about the opportunities you had to share

with the gospel messages of Jesus Christ with people.

It's not going to compare.

You'll look back all those moments of suffering or challenges and you'll thank God that He

gave you the grace to run your race and to do what He's asked you to do.

So I prayed blessing upon you and I just want to close out and pray today.

I just felt that before we close out, that you just take a moment, just to close your eyes

by your head wherever you might be in your car, at your home, office wherever you might

be.

But just take a moment, just to pray this this morning.

Father, I thank you for your love for us that challenges us, Lord, to be the best version

that you've called us to be.

What I pray for every person that's listening to this, God, that they would feel that

those challenges, their struggles are not in vain.

But Lord, when we put it in proper alignment with you, you are growing us and challenging

us, Lord, to develop and grow.

So Father, I pray blessing upon everyone in this call.

I pray everyone listening to this, Lord, I just pray that you would just allow them to

just continue Lord to pursue you with everything they have, with everything that they have

inside them.

Let them pursue you.

Even when it's hard, even when it's difficult, even they feel like you're not near, we

feel far away, God.

We know that you're right there with us.

So we're praying blessing upon everyone, upon the families, upon the business.

So everything they got going on, not only pray, amen.