Strong, Not Smooth

An episode of the Asbury Church podcast, hosted by Senior Pastor Andrew Forrest, titled "Strong, Not Smooth" was published on December 10, 2023 and runs 28 minutes.

December 10, 2023 ·28m · Asbury Church

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Summary

Why do we assume that God’s desire is to make our lives smooth? What if God’s desire is not that our lives would be smooth, but that we would be strong?Take Mary and Joseph’s situation before the birth of Jesus:Mary finds out she will be pregnant through a miracle, not through human means;Mary tells Joseph;Joseph has to decide what to do; he decides to quietly end the engagement;And only THEN does the Lord tell Joseph about the miraculous pregnancy.Why?!It seems that God’s will is for us to learn to exercise our wills in accordance with his will.God’s will is for us to get stronger, and we get stronger when we have to struggle and wrestle and choose.When there is a gap between what you have and what you think you need to move forward, you may be exactly where the Lord wants you to be.

Episode Description

Why do we assume that God’s desire is to make our lives smooth? What if God’s desire is not that our lives would be smooth, but that we would be strong?

Take Mary and Joseph’s situation before the birth of Jesus:

Mary finds out she will be pregnant through a miracle, not through human means;

Mary tells Joseph;

Joseph has to decide what to do; he decides to quietly end the engagement;

And only THEN does the Lord tell Joseph about the miraculous pregnancy.

Why?!

It seems that God’s will is for us to learn to exercise our wills in accordance with his will.

God’s will is for us to get stronger, and we get stronger when we have to struggle and wrestle and choose.

When there is a gap between what you have and what you think you need to move forward, you may be exactly where the Lord wants you to be.