The Five P's Process That The Lord Uses To Build Faith In Us

The five P's process that the Lord uses to build faith in us. That's our message. The text is taken from Romans 5: 1 to 5.

As our Church ministry approached its 5 year anniversary. It seemed as if the bottom fell out. And little did we know that for the next six month period and beyond we would encounter one ministry related and personal challenge after the other in rapid succession. And we were having more problems than you can shake a stick at. And during this challenging time the Lord gave me a great revelation. Personally I can honestly say that this time was like no other time in my entire life when I consider the number of health, family, ministry and business related challenges that presented themselves one after another, almost like clockwork. I began wondering what on earth was going on. For the first time in my life I experienced insomnia night after night. I would lay in bed with my eyes wide open tired but unable to find sleep. And so I purchased melatonin tablets and used them a few nights. However I preferred a more natural remedy and began drinking chamomile tea before bed and it worked wonders, bless the Lord.

And what was most amazing was how swiftly the Lord provided solutions and adjustments to help us get through this stormy season. After every challenge was resolved however another would rear its ugly head. But after a while I began to roll with it and started realizing that God was up to something. And I began trusting Him more when I recalled His Word that says many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers him out of them all, according to Psalm 34:19. Truly my friend believers in Christ face and go through many afflictions. And full-time ministry is even more challenging. But facing problems is a way of life for the Christian. For the believer in Christ. In fact the evangelist Smith Wigglesworth once said that he felt as if a thousand storms had washed over him. Our challenges may not have been as heavy and as serious as his. Nevertheless I do understand now what he was saying a whole lot better. This series of back-to-back challenges brought great insight into the process that the Lord works in His children to bring forth His presence and His great power in their lives and in their ministry. Simply stated this process is as follows. Problem, prayer, patience, presence, power. These I call the five P's of God's amazing character building process. The five P's process can sometimes be like a meat grinder that makes the meat easier to eat and digest, and even more delectable to the taste buds.

Father we give You thanks and praise for Your love and mercy. Bless this word Father. Send it forth. Give understanding to Your children. Transform their thinking Father we pray in Jesus holy name. Amen.

The five P's process is a fool proof process that is bound to bring success and true joy to every believer in Christ. God has designed this system to build spiritual strength in every believer and here's how it works. All of a sudden a problem shows up in the believer's life blindsiding him. He's momentarily thrown off balance by this unexpected event or these events and his head is spinning for a while. But he catches himself when he recalls the Word of God that says men ought to pray and not to faint. He then struggles to get an understanding of what is going on. He puts the problem before the Lord in intense prayer. And when he's unable to sleep or when he wakes up he lays in bed a while and has a little talk with Jesus because this always makes it it right.

More often than not the problem is not instantly resolved but because of his faith and confidence in God he's rewarded with patience to cope with this new reality. With this new issue. And this process is designed to produce patience in the man or the woman of God. And help them find peace in the midst of every storm. This positive attitude then opens his mind and heart to hear what the Father may be saying to him even more clearly. As a result he's slowly being drawn closer to the Master. He now has a newfound joy that is bubbling up from his gut. And he begins to realize that God is truly a very present help in trouble, in accordance with Psalm 46.

His fears now flee from him because God has assured him that he is standing with the believer in the midst of every difficult situation. And furthermore he has the assurance that God will never leave him, will never forsake Him. The closer he's drawn to the Father the more of His great power now flows into the life of the servant of the Most High God. And soon the Lord presents a solution to his problem. And the happy child of God gratefully gives thanks to the Father. But unfortunately even before the child of God can say jack rabbit another problem presents itself. However if the believer remains focused and refrains from getting bent out of shape the Lord leads him through the same process all over again. My friend this process works because it is flawless. It works because it has been designed perfectly by the Lord for the purpose of bringing forth His grace and mercy in His children.

James 1:4 tells the believer not to interfere with the work that the Lord is doing in his life. The Word given to him by the Father spells this out clearly, telling him let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete lacking nothing. This means do not turn to ungodly means to try and resolve your issue. Or to try and solve the problems of life that God presents you with in order to build character. Do not short circuit the work that God is doing to make you a strong man or a strong woman of God. And God is saying to us exercise patience as you go through these afflictions that we all must go through so that patience can produce the fruit. The perfect fruit intended by God. And if we are obedient this patient approach to dealing with our afflictions will birth in us the sweet fruit of the Lord's wonderful presence.

My friend we must be reminded of God's Word in 1 Peter 4:12 that speaks to every true true believer as we go through the challenges of life. Telling us beloved do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you as though some strange thing happened to you. But rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's suffering. That when His glory is revealed you may also be glad with exceeding joy. In other words expect afflictions for there will be many. Expect challenges. Expect them to present themselves on the road to the New Jerusalem. And be alert to the obstacles that you will find walking up the King's highway. For the rewards at the end of the road will be worth it all.

As our ministry labored during the six-month period. I was puzzled about what the Lord was saying to me. And you can imagine that at times I was dismayed and even stressed in my spirit when the problems came in such rapid succession. I prayed and talked to God more. I exercised more patience as I waited to see what God was doing. Each time God would always send the solution after a while. My friend soon you will be able to get the hang of the process because as the problems come in, one after the other without relenting. You will find yourself relying more expectantly upon His promise. Which is His promise not to give you more than you could bear. And so I began to get in the rhythm of things. I began to have that certainty in my spirit that I would soon see His hand of deliverance and I always did. In the kingdom of God there's always a light at the end of the tunnel. Look for it. You will not be disappointed I assure you it is always there.

I came to realize that this is God's faith-building process and believers everywhere are having similar experiences. If you're are suffering for the gospel you are in good company. You're not alone. Understanding this fact is very important because when we're faced with challenges very often the deceiver who is Satan comes to try and make us feel as if we're all alone and no help is coming to us. It is the devil's big lie. We are all a part of this massive group called the body of Christ. Who are all going through seasons where there's no end of troubles and no end to problems. Unfortunately many of us read it the wrong way. We fall for the lies of the deceiver and allow discouragement to set in. And as a result some leave off from following Christ forever. They walk away from the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. And this is one reason why attendance is down in the Christian Churches all over the world today. Because Satan's time is running out he has increased his activity and his attacks on the believers. He knows that his time is short and as a result we're having this great falling away in the Church.

The process the Lord uses to build up His children is also laid out in a similar manner in Romans 5: 1-5, where the Word of God tells us having been justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into His grace in which we stand. And rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that but we also glory in tribulations, in problems and issues. Knowing that tribulation produces perseverance and perseverance character and character hope. This is God's way of telling us that when we repent of our sins we were justified and made righteous by the blood of Jesus Christ. Who because of our faith in Him opened the door of His wonderful grace in which we now walk. And so we are able to rejoice daily in the glorious hope of the resurrection guaranteed by the deposit of the Holy Spirit who is in our heart.

Because of all this goodness of God we celebrate our tribulations, we celebrate our afflictions, we rejoice in our difficulties. Because we know that tribulation adds an enduring nature to us and it adds strength to us thereby developing character. And now the one who was a nobody and a total weakling has developed strength of character and experiences a closer walk with God, and more so operates in His mighty power. Miraculously this newfound character goes on to produce even more hope and this hope is not fruitless. It's not useless. It is a sure thing because the love of God is daily being poured out in the heart of every believer by the Holy Spirit who is in us.

The advantage this gives to the believer in Christ is that he's able to say hallelujah when the next problem presents itself. Because God's Word tells him to rejoice when he has a problem. Rejoice when he is challenged. Rejoice when his trials seem like storm after storm washing over his soul. Now he is certain that he is partaking in Christ's suffering. And has the assurance that he will also participate in His glory when it is revealed at the end of the age. I'm excited about following Christ and would love for you to have that kind of joy and excitement and it's available to any who desire it. God bless and keep you in Jesus mighty name. Amen.

You've been listening to this message and perhaps you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and personal Savior. And you want to have this joy. And you want to have this peace. And you want to have this understanding of what God is doing in your life. Please engage your heart and say this prayer after me:

-Father I am a sinner.

-I'm sorry for all my sins.

-Dear Lord I crave Your forgiveness.

-I want to return to You.

-Thank You Lord for Your forgiveness.

-Today I invite Jesus Christ into my heart.

-Dear Lord Jesus make my heart Your home forever.

-I give You the key to my heart because I now belong to You.

-Please give me the Holy Spirit to lead me into all truth.

-Thank You Lord for saving my soul. Amen.

Welcome friend to the body of believers in Christ. We are all waiting for the return of the Good Master. The signs are there that tell us that His return is near. But in the meantime we encourage you to become water baptized as quickly as possible.

Begin reading the Word of God every day. Begin in the Book of John and then go to Matthew, Mark and Luke. Reading audibly as often as possible because faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Pray daily, attend at your local church and one glad morning the Savior will come and receive us all unto Himself and we shall indeed forever be with the Lord. God bless and keep you in Jesus mighty name. Amen.