TD Jakes - Your Problem Serves Your Purpose
No matter who you are or what you're dealing with, we all got problems in life, but like in the story of Naaman from 2 Kings 5, God lets 'em happen 'cause they got a purpose—to humble us, heal us, and show His power to folks who don't believe yet.
Everybody Has Problems
There is not a person in this room, rich or poor, good-looking or otherwise, well-dressed, poorly dressed, Black, White, Brown, Democrat, Republican, CEOs, janitors—it does not matter, straight, gay, bi, confused, no label for what you got going on, cannot figure out where you came from, I do not care what you are going through in life, there is not a person in this room that escapes problems. The persons that you are hating on have problems. The persons whose success has made you so envious that you have become jealous of them because you think that they are living the life that you would love to have and they got away clean without going through what you are going through, they may not be going through what you are going through, but I guarantee you they are going through something in their life, everybody has problems.
Agree and Acknowledge
Do you agree with that? Touch everybody you can reach and say, "Everybody's got problems". White folks got problems, Black folks got problems, rich folks got problems, poor folks got problems, single parents got problems, married folks got problems, oh do not dance right now because she is sitting right beside you, got to be cool, just lay there, be cool, lay there, be cool. The single people are praying, "Oh, if I just had a companion, I'm tired of sleeping in the bed by myself". And the married folks are saying, "If I could ever get that person out of the bed, I bet you I'd never go". Everybody is envious of something that they do not even understand.
Envy of the Unknown
Skinny people drinking weight on, fat people drinking weight off. People who have hair growing long, they want short hair. People with short hair, they are buying hair. I am not looking at nobody because I do not want to start no trouble. Glory to God, just buying it. But the Lord gave me a word for you today. The word is your problem serves a purpose. Your problem serves a purpose. So before you cast it out, before you rebuke it, before you plead the blood, before you shake it off, understand that if God allowed it to happen to you, he is going to work that thing for your good. Anybody believe that?
Turn to Scripture
Go to 2 Kings chapter five, we are going to talk about this for a few minutes. 2 Kings chapter five, when you have it, leap up on your feet. We are going to read two verses, but I am going to have you stand to read them. Make sure you are not sleeping. This is a bad church to go to if you got bad knees. Just when you get that knee all situated and you are all comfortable in your chair, I am going to do something crazy like have you jump up and spin around and something, it is going to be all right.
Naaman's Story Begins
Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria was a what? He was a great man with his master and honorable because by him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria. He was a hero. He was also a mighty man in valor, but there is always a but. You do not have to hire a private investigator. You do not have to sneak around the house and sit outside with your camera. Everybody in here has a but, a contradiction, a... I did not mean that the way it sounded, but hallelujah. Glory to God. Thank you Jesus. It will be all right. It will be all right, but Naaman was a leper and the Syrians had gone out by companies and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel, a little maid, and she waited. She waited or she served Naaman's wife. Your problem serves a purpose.
Prayer for the Holy Spirit
Sweet Holy Spirit, come now and rest upon this house. Saturate us with your glory. Bind every devil, every spirit of confusion, every spirit of division, every spirit of contention, every spirit of disease, every spirit of dis-ease. Spirit of disease go. This is the holy moment. This is when daddy feeds the children. This is when the eagle stirs her nest. This is when the captives are set free. This is a moment that the bound are loosed. Have your way! Great God that you are. I thank you for what you are about to do. You do not have to do it for me to praise you. I will praise you now, you can do it later. Have your way! I will praise you on credit. Have your way! I know your word is good. Have your way! I know you are able to do it. In Jesus name at the top of your lungs shout amen.
Welcome and Context
You may be seated in the presence of God. Good morning Potter's house. Are you glad to be in the house of the Lord this morning? I got out the bed, I did not get out the bed wondering what I was going to do today. I got out the bed saying I am going to church. How many folks got up this morning with a made-up mind to be in the presence of the Lord? I want to share with you just so you get a quick understanding that this particular text is written not about kings nor prophets, not about priests nor kings. It is written about a soldier, a captain of the host.
Into the Bedroom of a Captain
Most of the Bible is filled with notations by seers and sages, Solomons of wisdom, mountains of Proverbs and integrist thought are conveyed to us through Scripture. But here we are brought into the bedroom of a captain, a place of intimacy, a place where the mighty rest, a place where humans refuel, a place where humans procreate, a place of privacy and yet the glare of the Holy Spirit has beamed into the secret chamber of a man who was outwardly accomplished and successful and revered by all of his peers. Wonder how much better we would know you if we knew you outside of church. Wonder what difference our perspectives would be of you if we saw you when your armor had been stripped away.
Naaman's Public Persona
Naaman was covered with armor. His headdress set him apart from the other soldiers. Not only was he military, he was the captain of the host. When he said go they move. When he said stop they stop. When he said sleep they slept. He was large and in charge. Nothing like power. The intoxication of being the boss. Power. People have been drunk with it. They have killed for it. They have murdered to attain it. They paid all kinds of money to get it. Naaman was the captain of the host. When he squared his back and squared his shoulders and lifted up his chest he walked around. Naaman was a hero.
Earning Respect
He was not a hero because of some backroom deal. He had climbed to the pinnacle of success with his sword. He had earned respect. Respect must be earned. Footnote, it is never given. You cannot be respected just because you want to be. You have to fight your way up. He had paid his dues. He had been on the battlefield with blood around his ankle stepping over the corpses of his comrades to earn the right to be the captain of the host. He had arrived at that designated place of which all young men hope to attain. He was there. That nebulous indescript place called there that we all reach after and pressed to get.
The Reality Behind Success
He was finally there only to find out that there was not as savory as he expected. Naaman, to be sure, he was a mighty man of valor. He was bad. He could fight. He could throw down. He was the captain of the host. He had the favor of the king of Syria. In fact, the king of Syria was indebted to him because the Jewish historian suggests that it was through the arrow of Naaman that the king Ahab of Israel fell to his grave. And so when the Bible alludes to the fact that through him Syria had been set free and had power it was because of Naaman's mighty fighting skills.
Naaman's Secret
Earned him a position as captain of the hosts serving under Benedad the second. Naaman was somebody to be revered and respected. He was captain of the hosts. When he walked the streets the girls giggled, the women patted their eyes, the little boys idolized him and even the men respected him. But Naaman was a leper. He had a secret problem undetectable by the masses but still relevant in his life. I am wondering this morning you look so good, you smell so nice, your clothes all coordinated, your matching, you are just as pretty as a bouquet of roses. But I wonder beneath all of this tapestry, what are you hiding under your arm?
Hidden Struggles
Naaman was, good God Almighty, Naaman was a leper. And so after he had walked the streets in power and gone up and down the highway and stopped at the market and talked and chatted with the people in the marketplace as they cut up their lambs and sold their meat and offered up their wares, he came home to deal with things that nobody knew that he dealt with. Nobody knows the cost of the oil in your alabaster box. The people you work with, the people you worship with, the people you live around have no idea what you have to deal with behind closed doors.
Need for a Personal God
I love God because I do not need a God who is only with me in public. I do not need a God who shines my armor and makes me look good before you. I need a God who can deal with the cryptic toxic places that exist behind closed doors, that thing for which I have no power. Power, no power. Authority, no authority. Great, no greatness. How can I be so great over here and be so afflicted? How can it be the best of times and the worst of times all at the same time? How can things be going wonderful and horrible all at the same time?
The Paradox of Life
How can I be at the pinnacle of my career and come home and unbandage my wounds because Naaman was a leper. Naaman was a leper without a hospital. Naaman was a leper without a pharmaceutical place. Naaman was a leper without an antibiotic. Naaman was a leper without the benefit of any medication. Naaman was a leper without any type of pain pills, no salve for his sores. Naaman was a leper without air conditioning or heat. Naaman was a leper out in the elements. Naaman was a leper without the benefit of any comfort for the casualties of his own human soul.
Inability to Fix Oneself
How can I be so mighty that I can fight an army, change the destiny of a nation, and cannot fix myself? How can I give such good advice to other people and be totally impotent and completely unable to fix my own disease? Do not tell anybody that I am a leper because if they knew I was a leper, I could lose my position. They would not allow me to be captain of the host if they knew I was a leper. Do you know what they do to lepers? They send lepers into colonies to live in dens with other diseased people.
Consequences of Revelation
They excommunicate them not only from the army, but from the socialization of their society. If they ever found out that their captain was a leper, he would lose his status, his power, his pedigree, his finances, his economic perspectives, and the adoration of his community. Because Naaman, oh God, Naaman was a leper. He had destroyed the power of Israel over Syria. His sword alone had brought... Can you imagine how the Syrians adored him? He had liberated them. Naaman was the Dr. King of his generation. Naaman was the Nelson Mandela of South Africa.
The But in Naaman's Life
Naaman was a mighty man. If they had made pictures, he would have been on church fans, Naaman was a mighty man of valor, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but Naaman was a leper. I think the leprosy is a distraction, as horrible as the leprosy is, the leprosy is a distraction from the stress of having it. If it were not enough to have leprosy, can you imagine the stress of hiding it? If it were not enough to have a disease that ate through your muscle tissue until your muscles rotted on your bones and fingers fell while you were moving, that pales in comparison to the pressure it took to hide something that stinks.
The Stress of Hiding
Naaman was a leper. If he could keep the oozing from oozing out from under his armor, how could he control the smell of rotting flesh while he was walking? So far by the grace of God, Naaman had survived the nostrils of his comrades, the visibility of his friends, the suspicion of his leadership, and only when he got home at night did he reveal to anyone that beneath my shiny armor and beneath my brass boots, when I take it all off, I am as vulnerable as the people I lead, Naaman was a leper.
The Maid Sees All
He did not mind taking his armor off when he got home, because the only person who saw it was a maid, a little Israelite maid that I picked up when I was fighting against the king of Israel. I took her captive. Josephus, a historian, suggests that it was the captivity of this very maid that brought about the curse, that taking her hostage had made God so angry that he had afflicted him. If Naaman undressed, he did not mind if the little maid saw, because who was she anyway? She had no money. She had no power. She had no status.
The Lowly Maid's Power
She had no prestige. She had no recognition. She had no country. She was serving in a country that was not hers. She was an immigrant, if you believe, and a slave to boot, and a woman, a woman on top of that. She could not be any lower, for in Naaman's society to be a woman, you were never an equal in the first place, and to be an Israelite woman away from your country, who was... Sure, you can see my leprosy, because who are you? Or did he understand that in spite of society's view of who you are, when God has blessed you with a gift, you are blessed anyhow.
Blessed Anyhow
I am wondering, are there any people in this room that know you are blessed anyhow? You might not be able to see it right now, it may not show in my job, it may not show in my status, it might not show in how you see me, but in her own way, the little maid had more power than Naaman. You see, Naaman had become great because of what he did, but the little maid was great because of who she knew. And who you know will always trump what you do. She knew somebody that could bring about a change, but watch this little maid. This little maid, this little maid preaches this morning.
The Maid Preaches Mercy
She preaches because this little maid had every right to be bitter. She had been snatched away from her family, snatched away from her culture, snatched away from her friends, been demoted to a servant and a slave, and she was there. She had every right to let him rot. You see, the real test of character is what you do with power. It is not what you do with weakness because weakness has no options. The real test of who you are is what do you do when you have the advantage.
Life in Her Hands
Who would have thought that the life of the captain of the host of Syria would be in the hands of a woman, that he would be at the mercy of a woman, a maid. What the Bible says, a little maid. She was not even significant amongst the maids. She was not even the head of the maids. She was a little maid, away from her country, away from her culture, away from her language. She was little on the outside, but she was big on the inside. I am talking to somebody, I do not even know who it is, and God had allowed Naaman to take captive the very one who had the cure to his crisis.
The Answer Nearby
Excuse me, I will be back in a minute. I am trying to look around because this text teaches me that the answer is somewhere in my house, the cure to the crisis in my life is somewhere within my arm's reach. I do not have to reach outside of what is near me, that God will use something in my reach to deliver. God will use something, even if it is the jawbone of an ass, he will let the ass die at the right place so it will be ready when I am in the fight. And there she is.
Divine Assignment
She was held captive by divine assignment. She did not struggle to get loose because her problem served a purpose. She was not economically empowered, she was demoted from all status, she had no recognition, she was not even getting esteemed emancipation, she was a little maid, but her problem served a purpose. They thought they had snatched her against her will, and maybe it was against her will, but not against God's because God had a purpose in her problem.
Ordering Steps
Order my steps, send your word, dear Lord, teach me... We say that until the steps order us a cut in pay, until the steps order us go through a divorce, until the steps order us go through an embarrassment, until the steps order us go through a scandal. We are good with ordering my steps as long as the steps are going up, but what do you do when he orders steps and the steps... Is he just your God in the good times, or is he your God when you are captive in a situation that you cannot correct?
Shared Captivity
Naaman and the woman were in the similar positions because she was in a place that she could not get out of, and so was he. Trouble makes strange bedfellows. It brings together people who would never be together otherwise. The commonality between the woman and Naaman is that they are both held captive by something. And she would look at him, no doubt, and think in herself, "If I could only be like you, I could get control of my life, eat what I want to eat, sleep when I want to sleep, wear what I want to wear".
Decision to Help
Little did she know as he undressed that evening that he looked at the subtle flesh she wore and thought, "If I could only be like you". As he undressed, she had a decision to make, "Will I help the man that holds me captive"? And I do not know who I am talking to this morning, but that is the decision that we all have to make at some time or another, "Will I help the one who holds me captive, or will I simply sit back and keep quiet and let him die"?
The Right Choice
If the wrong maid had been held captive, Naaman would have died. If a vengeful, spiteful, evil, angry woman had been held captive, she would have withheld what she could do. But the problem with holding back on what you could do is that when you hold back on what you could do, God holds back on what he can do, because you are no more deserving of the blessing you seek than the blessing you withhold from the person you hate. And until you learn to be merciful, you will never be mighty.
Greatest Test
I do not know whether you should have come to church this morning or not. It might have been a bad decision, because your greatest test might be how you handle the person you hate. Help us, Jesus. In old church, they say, "Help him, Jesus". Somebody holler, "Help him, Jesus". Help him, Jesus. Somebody holler, "Help him, Jesus". The little maid said, "I got help for you, Naaman". There is a prophet in Israel. There is a prophet in Israel, and if you went to him, he would set you free.
Willing to Go
Oh, but wait, wait, wait, you got to be willing to go into the country you just conquered. You got to be willing to deal with people you have been killing. So glad you did not kill all of them, because one of them has the cure to your crisis. The real test for you, Naaman, is how bad do you want it? Do you want it bad enough to leave the comfort of Syria? Do you want it bad enough to leave the opulence of the palace, the recognition of your peers, leave where you are loved and work where you are hated? Would you go to Israel to get well?
Seeking Help from Kings
So Naaman says. I will go talk to my boss who is the king of Syria and the king of Syria writes a letter to the king of Israel. These two countries have been in conflict. They are now in a fragile state of peace and he writes a letter and gives it to Naaman and says, "Naaman, go to the king of Israel and hand him this letter". And the letter almost caused a national revolt because the letter asked the king of Israel to handle something beyond his scope.
The King's Frustration
So when the king of Israel gets the letter, he is furious. He says, "This guy always wants to pick a fight with me. He barely got peace. Who am I, God, that I should heal this man of his disease"? The king of Israel rent his clothing and he was frustrated and Elijah heard about it and said to the king of Israel, "Do not worry, I got this". What Naaman seeks is not found in the prestige of palatial borders.
Healing in Humility
There is a constant message that God keeps trying to teach Naaman, that your healing is in your humility. I will do it for you if you can humble yourself. I will do it for you if you will take the advice of the maids you captured. I will do it for you if you will go down to a country that you think is beneath you. I will do it for you". And here, Naaman keeps trying to go up while God is trying to take him down. Naaman keeps trying to go see kings and princes and God has put healings amongst prophets and maids.
Unexpected Path
The way out may not be in the direction you thought. There you are in a palace that cannot heal you, wearing clothes that cannot fix you, driving cars that will not solve the problem. And the truth of the matter is, God put your deliverance in a place that you would have to humble yourself to be willing to come. God did not promise to heal you in your neighborhood or set you free by people who share your culture. You may have to be willing to cross some lines to get what you need, but the question remains, how bad do you want it?
God's Sovereign Maneuver
When I look at it like this, I begin to realize that the leprosy is not an attack of Satan. It is a sovereign maneuver of God to bring the soldier into a sovereign place of destiny. And it was good that he was afflicted, for had he not been afflicted, he would have never found the door to what God wanted to do. And the door was humility and humility only works when the mighty stoop to it.
Examples of Stooping
I will dismiss the tugging in my spirit to talk about the woman who was caught in the act of adultery and Jesus only heals her when he stoops. I will resist the temptation to talk about Jesus. Jesus himself is God stooping. That when God got ready to redeem the world, he could not do it as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, nor the Lion of the tribe of Judah, but he stooped and took on human flesh because whatever the mighty humble themselves, God is about to do something in their life.
Humbling the Mighty
Only God has used this problem to humble Naaman into a place of submission and how do you a soldier to submit. The captain of the horse is used to giving orders, not taking orders. But now because of this disease, he is having to listen. Not just to the king of Syria, but to a little maid. Because there are some problems, young man, that will bring you down to your knees.
Desperation Drives
If your daughter gets sick enough, I know you do not want to be over here with these hand clapping, foot stomping, jumping, jerking people, but if something you love gets sick enough, you will go wherever. Some of you would have never been here if circumstances had not brought you to a place of such utter need and hunger that you decided to get up out of the bed and say, "I am going down to the palace because I heard that the prophet was shot down".
Whatever It Takes
Oh, somebody better grab me. I feel the anointing of Jesus. Slap somebody and tell them, "Whatever it takes, whatever it takes, whatever it takes, whatever it takes. Whatever it takes to fix this, whatever it takes to heal this, whatever it takes to cure this, whatever it takes to liberate, whatever it takes to give me peace, whatever it takes for me to sleep at night, whatever it takes to give me joy, whatever it takes to give me purpose, whatever. I will drive an hour to get to church, whatever".
Something's Happening
I do not know, but I got a feeling something is going to happen in this place this morning. I said, "I got a feeling something's going to happen in here this morning. I got a feeling something's going to happen in here this morning". They asked me at the pastor's meeting, they said, "What in the world did you do to have so many men in your church? Your church is 50% men. It is unheard of". I tell them, "It is not what I did. It is what life did".
Life Brings Us Together
Because life will make you get up out of the bed on Sunday morning and pull your britches on and say, "No, you are not going without me. I am going to the house of the Lord". Life will bring you from North Dallas to South Dallas to get a word from the Lord. Life will make white folks worship with black folks and brown folks and red folks. Whatever. Life will make the judge sit down beside the criminal and say, "Justin, I am".
Going Down Levels
Naaman goes to the king and the king turns to the prophet and Naaman goes down from Syria to Israel and down from the palace to the prophet's house and the prophet will not even come to the door. Does he not know who I am? People wait for years to get to see me and I am at the door and he will not even come. Do you not know I just left your president? And you little jack-leg country preacher will not even... You mean I cannot get an appointment with a prophet in Israel? A country I conquered for my freedom and your church boy will not even come to the police.
The Servant's Instruction
Elijah sent his servant. Now you mean I got to go down from Syria to Israel and down from the president of Israel to the prophet and down from the prophet to a servant? The servant came to the door, Brother B.B. he told Naaman, the mighty man of Valah, the captain of the host, to go down to the rivers of Israel and dip in the filthy waters of Israel to get his healing. I came to tell you that if you go down low enough, oh, you do not hear what I am saying to you. If you are willing to go down low enough, God will heal that issue in your life.
Humility Leads to Exaltation
Because humility is always the way to exaltation. If God said, "If you exalt yourself, I will humble you. But if you humble yourself, I will exalt you". You have been trying to go up by going up, but the quickest way to go up is go down. Because whenever you go down, you will come up. When the seed goes down, it will come up. Whatever goes down will come up. If the devil would have heard this message, he would have never crucified Jesus because whatever goes down ...
Dipping in Filthy Waters
So man, they told Naaman, Naaman is down across the tracks in the other neighborhood and he went to the other neighborhood and the servant of the prophet came out and told him to go with all your armor and all your prestige and all of your titles and all of your trophies and go dip in the filthy waters of Israel. What is God trying to wash out of Naaman? It is the leprosy on the outside, only a reflection of what is eating him on the inside. Whatever God is trying to get out of Naaman, he had not gone quite low enough to get it.
Pride in the Way
I know he had not gone quite low enough because when they told him to go dip in the dirty waters of Israel, he said, "Forget it," and would have walked away except for one of his servants said to him, "If the man were to ask you a hard thing, would you have not done it? For six she asses, a camel and four goats, would you have not paid it"? But because he asked you to humble yourself, your pride is standing in the way of your destiny. You care more about your image than you do your deliverance and God is determined to wash every last little bit of it out of your life.
Into the Muddy Waters
So here goes Naaman going down into the muddy waters of Israel, into dirt to be clean. He went into filth to be righteous. He went into degradation to get elevation. He humbled himself and became obedient. He humbled himself and became obedient. Where did that come... Oh, that is not Naaman, that is Jesus. Jesus humbled himself and became obedient. Naaman humbled himself and became obedient. Saul on the road to Damascus, go to Ananias, he humbled himself and became obedient.
Get Down
If all of them had to humble themselves, why are you still sitting on your horse? Tell three people and say, "I got to get down, I got to get down, I got to get down, I got to get down, I got to get down, I got to get down. I got to get down, I got to get down before the year is over, before the clock strikes 12, before I go into a new year with an old problem, I got to get down off of my high horse and say, "Whatever it takes". I said, "Whatever it takes". They did not hear me, "Whatever it takes".
Season to Humble
So he went down, yeah, yeah. Tell your neighbor, "This was a season for you to get down. This was a season for you to humble yourself. This was a season for you to say, "I'm sorry". This was a season for you to stop teaching and start learning. This was a season for you to get down on your knees and say, "If the Lord do not help me, I cannot stand the storm". Uh-oh, I feel like preaching now, hallelujah. Well, how y'all doing up there, y'all doing all right?
Persistent Dipping
He went down into the muddy, stinking, algae infiltrated water of Jordan. He went down sick and he came up sick. And I imagine in my mind that the devil said, "Look at you, you are making a fool of yourself. You are supposed to be the captain of the horse and you are down here in Israel, all covered with mud". But Naaman said, "I got no choice". And he went down again. He came up out the water and he still stank. The worms were eating up his flesh, the thieves was all over his body. He said, "I got nothing to lose".
Nothing to Lose
So he went down again. Touch your neighbor and say, "I got nothing to lose. I am going to go down again". He went down one more time. He went down again. He went down the sixth time. Shall you? Six times. He had dipped in the muddy waters of Israel and still he had no healing. But six is the number of man. Six is the number of flesh. Six is the number of human effort. Six is the number of humanity.
Human Efforts Fail
Look at all the people who tried to heal you. You went down for it, but they could not heal you. You went down again and they could not heal you. And I know the devil said, "You might as well get out of this water. This is not working for you. You might as well get out of the church. This is not working for you. You might as well give up being a Christian. This is not working for you".
On Your Last Dip
But the Lord sent me here to deliver a message, to tell the devil this, "You are on your last dip". If you dip, run over and tell somebody, "I am on my last dip. I am on my last dip. I am on my last dip. I have been through hell and high water, but I am on my last dip. I cried myself to sleep, but I am on my last dip. I had to take care of myself, but I am on my last dip".
One More Dip
Slap your neighbor and say, "One more dip, God will deliver you. One more dip, God will set you free. One more dip, God will bring you out". I want everybody in the church to just take six dips, just go down. Six times. Keep on doing it. I am coming out of this. I am coming out of this. out of this. I am coming out of. I am coming out of it. I am coming out of it. I am coming out of it. I am coming out of it. I am coming out of it. I am coming out of it. I am coming out of my pain. I am coming out of my misery. I am coming out of my crisis. I am coming out of my deliver. I am coming out of my storm. I am coming out of my stupor. I am coming out of my anger. Yeah! Yeah!
Reason for Difficulty
So the Lord told me to tell you, the reason 2014 was so difficult to get through is because the devil knew you was on your last dip. And before New Year's, if you take one more dip, if you take, y'all are not doing it. If you take one more dip, yeah! Yeah! Somebody better help me praise him. Somebody better. Son, yeah! Son, yeah! Son, yeah! Dip, dip, dip in the water. Dip, dip, dip in the water. Dip, dip, dip in the water. Dip, dip, dip in the water. Dip, dip, dip in the water. Dip, dip, dip in the water. Dip, dip, dip in the water. Dip, dip, dip in the water. Dip, dip, dip in the water.
New Perspective
I looked at my hands and my hands looked new. I looked at my feet and they did too. I looked at my marriage, I had a new marriage. I looked at my children, I had an old child. Look at your name and say dip, dip, dip in the water. Dip, dip, dip in the water. Your circumstance is not beyond God's ability. Dip in the water. Now, there is one small issue. When Naaman comes up out of the water the seventh time, he is healed. He is whole. He is set free. And most preachers stop the sermon right there.
Beyond Personal Healing
But if you stop right there, you miss the purpose of the problem because it was never about Naaman getting healed in the first place. You see, the Syrians were idolaters and they did not believe in Jehovah God. So he took somebody they respected and made him so sick that only the God of Israel could heal him. When Naaman came up out of the water the seventh time, he said, "I got to serve the God that delivered me". God said, "I am not finished yet".
Bringing Worship to Syria
Naaman sent a letter to get permission to get two oxen to offer up in Syria unto the God of Israel. So he went back to Syria and built an altar and offered up a sacrifice to Jehovah and brought worship from Israel over into Syria. Oh, y'all do not hear what I am saying? And all of a sudden the Syrians heard about God because of what God did to heal Naaman.
Using Trials as Testimony
I want you to understand if there is some people you work with that will never come to your church, there is some people you have influence with that would never believe in your God, but through the trials you have been through, God is going to use your deliverance to convince them that if it had not been for the Lord, that was... on your side. Y'all do not hear what I am saying. You would have been swallowed up.
God Uses You
So he told me to tell you, and I am almost finished, he told me to tell you this. I want you to get this in your spirit, I want you to understand. When you prayed and asked God to use you, you thought it meant dance or sing or preach or teach, but God is using that thing that is on you to maneuver you into a place so that when he brings you out, they will know that it was the God that you serve.
Do Not Worry
Now, he said, "Do not worry about the smell. I know it stinks right now. I know it is tough right now, but your problem serves a purpose". Lazarus, I am not going to heal you, I am going to leave you sick, I am going to let you die. Do not be scared, boy, because when it finishes its purpose, I am going to raise you up again. But right now, I want Mary and Martha to stop arguing. I want the unbelievers to see your resurrection because they are the group of people that will not believe until they see you come out of what I took you through.
Purpose in Suffering
So I took you through it because your problem serves a purpose. Join hands with somebody, I am going to close. Right now, there are people in this room with problems, painful problems, stinking problems, embarrassing problems, humiliating problems, painful situations and circumstances that even the holidays do not cover. Peace on earth, goodwill to men, but no peace in your house. Peace on earth, goodwill to men, but not on your job. Peace on earth, goodwill to men, but not with your spouse.
No Peace Amid Blessings
Peace on earth, goodwill to men, but not with your child. Peace on earth, goodwill to men, but not in your body. Peace on earth, goodwill to men, but not with your mother. Peace on earth, goodwill to men, but my father never even called me. Peace on earth, goodwill to men. How could I be so blessed and have such a private problem? God said, "Your problem serves a purpose".
Trust God's Way
If you can just trust me, if you can just humble yourself, if you can just hold your peace, if you can just stop doing things your way, I am not going to heal you your way. It is not going to make sense to you, but you are going to have to shut your mouth. You are going to have to look weak in order to win. You are going to have to think things and not say them in order to win. You are going to have to dip in dirty water, but I swear I am going to bring you out.
Moving to Prepared Place
I am using that situation that you dread the most in your life to move you to the place that I had prepared for you. I did not let overtime work. I did not let the people help you who normally helped you. I did not let you get the job for a reason. I mean dip, squeeze that hand, because pride is screaming, "Go back home". God is screaming, just do like you normally do. react the way you normally react, but purpose is saying shut your mouth and dip again. No, no, no, no.
Dip Again
If you dip, if you stop trying to fix it your way, if you stop trying to have the last say, if you dip again, I swear I am going to bless you. I swear I am going to bring you out. I swear I am going to make you a testimony. I swear your latter days shall be greater than your former days. I swear I am going to give you beauty for ashes. I swear I will give you the oil of joy for mourning. I swear I will give you the garment of praise for the spirit of heaven to swallow your pride and dip again.
Working Through You
Dip again, I am working on something. Dip again, I am teaching through you. Dip again, I am training through you. Dip again, I am breaking generational curses through you. Dip again, I am going to change your whole family through you. Dip again, I am going to use you in a mighty way. That devil will not pass to another generation if you dip one more time. I want you to dip again. I want you to dip again.
Humble to Be Exalted
If you dip again, if you dip again, if you dip again, if you serve, if you serve, if you humble yourself, God said I will exalt you. Now, Father, I do not know who needs this message, but there is somebody that you drew to church, there is somebody watching on the internet, there is somebody sitting up in the balcony, there is somebody sitting on the left, there is somebody sitting on the right, there is somebody in the back right now, there is somebody on the front row, and there is somebody in the choir.
One More Time
Dip one more time. Dip one more time. Squeeze that hand. Pride is screaming. Flesh is upset. Arrogance does not want to bow. Hallelujah. But while you are squeezing that hand, God is renewing that situation. While you are squeezing that hand, God is giving sight to the blind. While you are squeezing that hand, God is preparing a supernatural blessing. You are on your last dip.
Hold Out
I know you are tired, but you are on your last dip. I know what all you have been through, but you are on your last dip. I know how many things I took you through, but you are on your last dip. This is not no time to faint. This is not no time to quit. This is not no time to throw in the towel. You are on your last dip. Squeeze that hand. Give you hold out. Give you hold out. Give you hold out. God is going to give you the victory.
Speaking to Doubts
I speak to every doubt. I speak to every fear. I speak to every frustration. I speak to the turmoil you lay down with. I speak to the turmoil you get up with. In the name of Jesus, I am going to take you to the water, and I am going to drop you under the water. I am going under the water of praise. I am going under the water of worship. I know that demons cannot swim. I know that trouble cannot swim. I know that Satan cannot swim.
Flood the Devils
When I open my mouth and praise God, I am going to flood every devil that has been chasing me in 2014. I am going to flood every devil that has been after my marriage. I am going to flood every devil that has been after my children. I am going to flood every devil that has been after my career. Squeeze that hand. The water is getting higher. The waters of praise are filling up this room. The water is up to your waist. The water is up to your waist.
Praises Flood
If the praises continue, God is going to flood everything that is not like him. One more hallelujah. One more thank you, Jesus. One more glory to God, and you are going to drown that leprosy, and you are going to drown that devil, and you are going to drown that affliction. One more glory to God. I will bless you. the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord. The humble shall hear thereof and be glad.
Magnify the Lord
Oh, oh, magnify the Lord with me and let us squeeze that hand. Let us squeeze that hand. Let us exalt his name together. Give him the highest praise right now. Come on, come on, come on. Flat this place, flat this place, flat this place, flat this place, flat this place. Dip in the praise, dip in the praise, dip in the praise.