from JO’s sermon tonight:
we all go through situations in life that we don’t understand: company was downsizing and we got laid off, a friend walked out of a relationship, now we’re having to start all over. all of us at some time will go through dark places: a loss, sickness, divorce, child that broke your heart. it’s easy to get discouraged, give up on your dreams and just settle there, but God uses the dark places; they are all a part of His divine plan. think of it as a seed; a seed cannot germinate in the light. as long as the seed stays up on a shelf, it will never become what it was created to be. you have to plant the seed in the soil, in the dark place, so that what’s on the inside will come to life. in the same way, there are seeds in you: dreams, goals, talent, potential, that will only come to light in a dark place. if you study the scripture, every person that did something significant went through one of these dark places. Moses made a mistake and killed a man; he spent 40 years on the back side of the desert, alone, feeling like he had blown it. in that dark place, something was happening on the inside; it was getting him prepared. he was developing patience, humility, confidence. without the dark place, he would have never held up the rod and parted the Red Sea.
the dark place is a prerequisite to stepping into the fullness of your destiny. Esther was an orphan, a lady who had lost both of her parents. she felt alone, forgotten; a dark place. but God used her to help save the people of Israel. Elijah was so depressed he wanted to die; a dark place, yet he’s one of the heroes of faith. or David; he had an affair with married woman, had her husband killed. for one year he was broken, sick, guilty, yet he’s called a man after God’s own heart. God doesn’t send the difficulties, but He will use anything that comes into our lives. in those dark places is where we really grow, where our character is developed. we learn to trust, persevere; our spiritual muscles are getting stronger. in the dark places, you pray more, draw closer to God, get quiet and listen to what He’s saying. in those dark places, you reevaluate your priorities, spend time with your family, have a new appreciation for what God has given you. you may not realize it, but in the dark places you’re being blessed. something is happening on the inside; it’s helping you to realign your vision.
when you go through enough dark places, you don’t complain about small things. you don’t get upset because you didn’t get your parking spot. you don’t lose your joy because you got stuck in traffic. you’re not offended because a coworker was rude to you. you’ve been through too much to let that sour you; you’ve got a backbone made of steel. when you go through a few dark places, it toughens you up. the dark places are what have made me into who I am today; I like the good times a lot better, I prefer everything going my way, but it wasn’t the good times that brought out the best in me, it was the lonely nights, the times I didn’t think I could do it on my own, the times that I didn’t see a way. that’s when I really learned how to pray, that’s when I developed an unshakable confidence in God, that’s when my faith was stretched and increased. don’t complain about the dark times; there are blessings in the dark places. God is doing something that can only happen in the fire of affliction. I never prayed as much in the good times; I never went out of my way to draw closer to God when everything was going my way. it was the dark places that helped me to really develop my spiritual muscles. even though I didn’t like what I was going through, I didn’t like having to stretch, I was uncomfortable, I wouldn’t change it; it made me better.
God uses the dark places. when Joseph was falsely accused and put in prison for 13 years, the scripture says:
Psalm 105:18 (AMP)
18 His feet they hurt with fetters; he was laid in chains of iron and his soul entered into the iron
he developed a strength, a perseverance, that he could not get any other way. there are some things you can only learn in the dark places. quit complaining about what you’re going through, who hurt you, how bad it was. it may be uncomfortable, you may not like it, but it’s working for you. you’re getting stronger. it’s developing something that you could only get in the dark. you cannot reach your highest potential being in the light all the time, no adversity, no problems, nobody coming against you. that sounds good, but it will stunt your growth. David said:
Psalm 4:1 (AMP)
1 … You have freed me when I was hemmed in and enlarged me when I was in distress…
he wasn’t enlarged in the good times, he was enlarged when things weren’t going his way. as a teenager, he wanted to be out having fun with his friends, but he got stuck taking care of his father’s sheep. month after month, he was out there alone, nobody to talk to; didn’t look like he could ever accomplish his dreams. but those years in the lonely shepherd’s fields are what helped prepare him to become a champion. when he went out and defeated Goliath, people called him an overnight success, but the fact is that it didn’t happen overnight; it happened because he went through the dark places with a good attitude. when he didn’t get his way, when he didn’t understand it, when he felt like God had forsaken him, he just kept doing the right thing. David understood this principle. his attitude was, “God, this is a dark place. I may not see it, but I believe that it’s working for my good. I believe I’m getting stronger, developing character, patience, learning to trust.” at the right time, he not only came out, but he came out increased, promoted, better than he was before. it’s not a coincidence that David said:
Psalm 23:1-4 (KJV)
23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me
David was saying in effect, “the God that leads me to the green pastures and beside the still waters is the same God that leads me through the valley.” we can all trust Him in the green pastures, that’s easy, and we can trust Him beside the still waters; I’m asking you to trust Him even in the dark valleys. He hasn’t left you. you may feel alone, forgotten, life hasn’t turned out the way you wanted, but God is still leading you. the dark places are all a part of the plan to make you into who you were created to be. it may not be easy, you may not understand it, but faith is trusting God when life doesn’t make sense. dare to believe that He’s blessing you even in the dark places, that what’s meant for your harm, He’s going to use to your advantage. David went on to say, “after you go through the valley, the dark places”:
Psalm 23:5 (NIV)
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
notice, you’ve got to go through the valley to get to the table that’s already set before you. you’ve got to go through the loneliness, betrayal, sickness, to get to the fresh anointing, new beginning. you’ve got to go through the shepherd’s fields, doing the right thing when the wrong thing is happening, through the struggle, lack, debt, before you come to your cup that runs over. too often, we want the overflow and not the valley; “God, give me more favor, resources, influence,” God says, “Ok, fine, but you’ve got to be willing to go through the valley with Me.” in the dark times is where we prove to God what we’re really made of. can God trust you with more favor, influence, resources? you have to be faithful in the shepherd’s fields, when you’re not getting your way, when it’s lonely. “I don’t like my boss, that’s why I show up late to work, he doesn’t treat me right, that’s why I slack off”; no, if you’re not faithful in the wilderness, how can God trust you to be faithful in the promised land? have a new perspective; the dark places are opportunities to grow. you’re not there by accident. if God wasn’t going to use that for your good, He would’ve never allowed it. you may not understand it, may not make sense, but God knows what He’s doing. pass that test.
sometimes when you go through a loss, it’s easy to get discouraged and feel like God let you down, there won’t be any more good days. but anytime something is dying in your life, something else is coming to life. it looks like the end, but God has a new beginning. a friend betrayed you, walked away; that relationship died. at the same time, God is birthing a new relationship, He’s got another friend already destined to come across your path. you lost a position, a client, an opportunity; that may have died, but God’s already lined up a new position, opportunity, level. if you’ll go through the valley trusting, believing, knowing that God is still in control, then you’ll come into the table that’s already prepared for you, to the fresh anointing, to increase to where your cup runs over. you’ve got to go through it to get to it. don’t get stuck in your valley, get bitter, lose your passion, “I don’t understand why this has happened to me, they laid me off after all these years, they broke my heart, I’m dealing with this sickness, I just don’t…” no, if you’re always trying to figure it out, you’re going to get stuck.
think about this; in punctuation, an exclamation point is simply a question mark straightened out. if you want God to take your question marks, the things you don’t understand, and turn them into exclamation points, you have to trust Him. in those dark places, where it wasn’t fair, instead of wondering, “why did this happen to me?” no, turn it around; “God I know You’re still on the throne. I may not understand this, but I believe on the other side of this valley is my exclamation point, the table that’s already prepared for me, the fresh anointing, the right people, the new beginning, the new level.” if you’ll go through the dark valleys like that, you will come into those exclamation points; you’ll see God amaze you with his goodness. you may be in a dark place right now: you went through a breakup, somebody broke your heart, you’re hurting, lonely, wondering if you’ll ever be happy again. if you’ll keep honoring God, keep moving forward, God will bring somebody into your life better than you ever imagined. somebody kinder, friendlier, who will treat you like a queen, like a king; you won’t even miss that person that left you.
God has an exclamation point waiting for you. maybe in your health, it’s a dark place, you don’t see how you’re going to make it, the medical report is not good; stay in faith. or perhaps it’s in your finances, a dark place, you had a bad break, a disappointment, lost a client, you’re wondering, “is it ever going to get any better?” yes, on the other side of the valley is your cup that runs over; increase, abundance, a new level of your destiny. you may have been in the valley for a long time, but you need to get ready, this is a new day. you’re about to see the breakthrough, the overflow. that problem is about to turn around. don’t quit believing; God didn’t bring you this far to leave you. He has an exclamation point coming your way. God will put you at the right place at the right time: God knows how to get you to your destiny. people don’t determine your destiny, God does. a bad break, rumors, injustice can’t stop you; God has the final say. if you’ll go through the dark places with the right attitude, you’ll see exclamation points coming your way, the surpassing greatness of God’s favor. in the scripture:
John 6:5-9 (NIV)
5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.
7 Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages[ to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”
8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, 9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”
Mark 6:41-44 (NIV)
41 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. 42 They all ate and were satisfied, 43 and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. 44 The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.
notice the blessing was in the breaking; the more he broke it, the more it multiplied. there are times that we all feel broken; broken dreams, broken promises, a broken heart. when you feel broken, you go through a disappointment, don’t get bitter and give up on your dreams; the brokenness is not the end, it’s a sign that God is about to multiply. that’s what David said:
Psalm 4:1 (AMP)
1 … You have freed me when I was hemmed in and enlarged me when I was in distress…
that brokenness, it may have been meant to stop you, but God’s going to use it to increase you. the loss, the disappointment, the person that didn’t keep their word, they thought they were hindering you, but in fact they were setting you up for God to multiply. you may have gone through more than your share of bad breaks, but take heart; the more broken you are, the more God’s going to increase. the bigger the disappointment, the bigger the blessing. God has beauty for your ashes, joy for the mourning. the brokenness is only temporary. don’t settle in the valley, don’t get comfortable there; the valley is not your home, the Shepherd is leading you through the valley. on the other side, there are new beginnings, fullness of joy, great relationships, health and wholeness, dreams coming to pass. Jesus said:
John 12:24 (CEB)
24 I assure you that unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it can only be a single seed. But if it dies, it bears much fruit.
he was using an example of a seed; you can have a seed on your desk for a lifetime, it won’t do any good until you plant it. as long as it’s where it’s comfortable, it doesn’t have to stretch, deal with adversity, then its potential will remain locked up on the inside. only after it’s planted, and it goes through a process of germination, the outer shell breaks off, new growth begins, that’s when it will blossom and produce much fruit. the problem with some people is that they want the fruit, but they don’t want to go through the process. they don’t want to be uncomfortable, they don’t want to stretch and have to deal with adversity, betrayal, opposition, but without the dark place, your potential will not be fully released. the seed can’t germinate in the light. I’m sure if you were to ask the seed, it would say, “I don’t want to go in the dirt! it’s dark, lonely, uncomfortable. I don’t want people walking on top of me.” it looks like it’s buried, like it’s the end, but what the seed doesn’t realize is, it’s not buried, it’s planted; it has the life of Almighty God on the inside. those dark places, even though it’s uncomfortable, it’s a critical part of the process. over a period of time, as the seed germinates and grows, instead of just being one seed buried, it can become a beautiful flower, blossoming, producing much fruit. if you were to ask the seed after the process, it would say, “I didn’t like the dark place, but I realize now that it was a blessing; look what I’ve become, blossomed into.”
we all go through these dark places; it feels like at times we’re buried, thoughts will tell you, “you’ve seen your best days, that layoff ruined your career, that divorce tainted your future, that sickness is going to be the end of you”; no, have a new perspective. you’re not buried, you’re planted. if you would have never had the loss, disappointment, dark place, you would never discover what’s on the inside. your potential is about to be released. you’re not only going to come out, you’re going to come out bearing much fruit: better, stronger, fully in blossom. none of us like to be planted; it’s lonely, uncomfortable. but in the dark places, you have to remind yourself, “new growth is coming my way. even though it feels like something is dying, something else is coming to life.” you’re not buried, you’re planted; when you come out, you’re going to bear much fruit. my challenge to us today is; be willing to go through the process. too many people get bitter, discouraged, “if God was good, how could He let this happen to me?” no, dare to trust Him; God knows what He’s doing. there may be dirt all around you right now, it’s uncomfortable; that dirt is not there to bury you, it’s there to bring out the seeds of greatness on the inside. it’s just a matter of time before you break out and blossom into who you were created to be. if you will go through these dark places with the right attitude, God is going to turn your question marks into exclamation points. you will go through every valley to the table prepared for you, to the fresh anointing, increase, where your cup overflows. you’ll be able to say, like David:
Psalm 4:1 (AMP)
1 … You have freed me when I was hemmed in and enlarged me when I was in distress…
He blessed me, even in the dark places.
Thank you so much for this word. It was a rhema word from the Lord, a word needed in due season. God Bless you!
Ladypraise
You’re very welcome!! 🙂
Good stuff! (exclamation point, lol)
Glad you liked it, lol!!
Hey there it’s J
HaPpY ThanKsGivinG :o)
Thanks, J, you too!! 🙂
New post. New post. New post. C’mon everybody. New post. new post. Sorry FH. Had to. lol.
Sorry, lol, I’m running late this week; it’ll be up in a few hours.
By the way, love the snow animation.
I didn’t know they’d started it already… glad you like it!! 🙂
I so appreciate getting these. I don’t know who you are, or why you do this, or even how you do it, but I find these, and your website very helpful. I am a pastor, and so I will often use these as a springboard for my own preaching. It never fails, people are always blessed. thanks so much. djt
I’m just an anonymous blogger, Derek, putting in the hours to transcribe sermons as the first part of my ministry. I’m glad they’re a help to yours!! 🙂
I should have read this before criticizing God,such a wonderful sermon,praise the Lord.
I’m glad you liked it, Armand!! 🙂
[…] https://formerheathen.wordpress.com/2014/11/17/blessed-in-the-dark-places/ […]
I am Blessed even in the Dark place! Never heard quite this way! The breaking of a new day! That God was allowing me to go through something so I could grow and become what he meant for me to become. So, as I keep my attitude right being in a mind set of obedience or trust and humility to God. I will overcome with the BLESSING!!!!!! I get it, I got It! Thank you Jesus for this message!!!!!