Lakewood Midweek | Growing Pains

Main message: The sermon teaches that hard seasons are often “growing pains” God uses to develop spiritual maturity. Instead of only asking God to remove suffering, believers should trust Him to grow them through it and redeem it for good.

Key points:

• Trials should be viewed as opportunities for growth, not just obstacles to endure.
• James 1:2–4 shows that testing can produce endurance and maturity.
• Pain does not automatically produce growth; perspective, faith, and obedience matter.
• Like a butterfly squeezing out of a cocoon, pressure can be part of development.
• Paul’s thorn in the flesh shows that God may not remove a struggle immediately, but He gives grace through it.
• Pain can distort judgment, so believers need wise, safe “pain partners” who point them to Jesus.
• God can restore the damage from hardship, and the enemy cannot undo the development God brings through it.

Scriptures mentioned: James 1:2–4, 2 Corinthians 12:7, Romans 8:28, Mark 14