Leading The Way

Dr. Michael Youssef: If you are battling doubt, if you are battling controlling spirit, if you are battling a critical spirit, if you are battling any weaknesses of any kind, you can be absolutely certain of one thing, that if you allow those weaknesses to take hold of you, the enemy is going to use these weaknesses, and he's going to taunt you about these weaknesses. He is going to try to keep you from walking by faith, and he's going to try to get you keep on walking by feelings instead.

Guest (Female): The performance and skill of Olympic and Hall of Fame athletes are measured in milliseconds. But isn't it comforting to know that God's Hall of Fame is reachable by anyone, not just the super elite? Welcome to Leading The Way with international Bible teacher and bestselling author, Dr. Michael Youssef.

Now, in just a moment, your introduction to Abraham's wife, Sarah. She made mistakes throughout her life. Yes, she did, but God still marks her as a woman of great faith. And Dr. Youssef shows how she was just like us. Do remember that Leading The Way is a listener-supported media ministry, made possible by your prayers and your generosity. Details about the many ways to stand with Dr. Youssef are available at LTW.org.

Right now, listen along to Dr. Michael Youssef's message, The Wonder of Faith.

Dr. Michael Youssef: Every one of us, without exception, have weaknesses. Without exception, every single one of us have at least one weakness.

I have multiple weaknesses. Some of us have an easier time than others in our ability to confess and acknowledge our weaknesses. There are some people who allow their weaknesses to control their lives. There are some who focus so much on their weaknesses that they become so paralyzed by those weaknesses.

And here is something of vital importance. Listen to me carefully. To acknowledge our strength is good, but to acknowledge our weaknesses is even better. But here's a problem, here's a danger. What really causes us pain, what causes us defeat, what really hinders us from living joyful, fulfilled, and fruitful life for Jesus Christ? What hinders us from walking by faith and what keeps us staying still because we live by sight?

Is when we mistake our weaknesses for strength, or we try to rationalize our weaknesses. And when we do that, we don't give God the Holy Spirit an opportunity to take those weaknesses, turn them around and use us in a mighty way. Take, for example, a control freak. And I'm sure you don't have anybody like that at your house.

But that person when he or she confesses that weakness, and when asks the Lord God to come and to strengthen them, God not only is going to forgive, but He's going to give the victory over these weaknesses. But if I say, "Well, if I weren't like this, nothing would get done. If I weren't like this, I could never be successful." That is rationalizing a weakness, not acknowledging it and confessing it.

Or take the person who's filled with doubt all the time. Now, most of us have some doubt sometime, but if you have, see a person who is constantly living in doubt, and if that person confesses that doubt to God, if that person asks for the power of God to replace this doubt with the gift of faith, God will answer that prayer, more than answer that prayer. And He will empower you to live by faith and to overcome that doubt.

But if you rationalize that doubt by saying, "Well, I'm just being realistic. Well, I am just being practical." Then you'll never overcome doubt. So weaknesses are not the problem. Weaknesses are not the problem. What we do with our weaknesses is really what matters.

And in the Bible, we see that Sarah had just as many weaknesses as Abraham. And yet, in Hebrews chapter 11, verse 11 says, "By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive even when she was past the age, since she considered Him faithful who had promised."

There's a reason why this series of messages is entitled, "They Were Just Like Us." There's a reason for that, because if you are battling doubt, if you are battling controlling spirit, if you are battling a critical spirit, if you are battling bitterness in your life.

If you are battling any weaknesses of any kind, you can be absolutely certain of one thing, that if you allow those weaknesses to take hold of you, the enemy is going to use these weaknesses, and he's going to taunt you about these weaknesses. He's going to try to keep you from witnessing because of your weakness. He's going to keep you from impacting your world for Christ because of these weaknesses.

He is going to keep you from making a difference for Christ wherever you may be. He is going to try to keep you from walking by faith and he's going to try to get you keep on walking by feelings instead. Sarah's weakness got her into a royal mess. I mean, Sarah's weakness got her to screw up magnificently.

But she ended up exercising faith and made it to this chapter which we call Faith's Hall of Fame. Hebrews chapter 11. Because without Sarah's cooperation, there would have been no Isaac. Sarah would have said to Abraham, "Abby, cut that out." I mean, Abby, at our age, forget it. I mean, she could have said, "Abby, don't touch me."

But the reason she is mentioned in Hebrews chapter 11, verse 11, and it says, "By faith Sarah," is because Sarah did not mess up any more royally than Abraham did. But I want you now to turn to Genesis chapter 15, because in chapter 15 you find the most definitive, the most clear promise of God to Abraham and Sarah that Abraham is going to have a son by Sarah.

And immediately, you go to Genesis 16 and what happens? God had just spoken. God had just promised. God had just gone over the whole thing. And immediately, the next chapter, chapter 16, you find Sarah taking matters into her own hands and trying to help God out. I mean, she wanted to give God a hand. She tried to help him because she thought God needed some help. She tried to bring about the fulfillment of God's promises her way, not his.

And she tried to improvise on what God wanted to do. And so in Genesis 16:2, "So she said to Abraham," that's after chapter 15 when God made the promise, okay? 16:2, she said to Abraham, "The Lord has kept me from having children. Go sleep with my maidservant. Perhaps I can build a family through her." And Abraham agreed with what Sarah said.

Do you know what the problem really is here? Sarah believed that God is so powerful that He closed her womb. But He's not powerful enough to open that womb. That's the problem. How many of us, how many of us are quick to blame God when things go wrong and are very slow to give God the glory when things go right?

I remember when the bubble burst in the market, people would say to me, "Brother Michael, why has this happened to me? Look what I've lost." And I wanted to say, "Well, what did you do for God when the market was skyrocketing?" Sarah took things into her own hands, oh, with all good intentions, of course. We all do with good intentions.

You know, and one small step for man and one humongous disaster for mankind. And so she said, "Everybody's doing it, Abraham. Everybody does it this way. Why shouldn't we?" Have you heard that before? You see, in that culture of her day, the time of Abraham, 4,000 years ago.

In that culture, if a barren woman want to give her husband children, she would give her maidservant to her husband and therefore they'll bring descendants that way. That was the cultural thing. That was the the done thing. That's what housewives back then did. They did a lot of desperate things. Well,

"That was the culture. That was unbelievers were doing. That was what the people who have not received the Word of God and the promises of God and the assurance of God and those who have not fellowshipped with God. Listen to me, every study that I read concludes that the lifestyle of Christians is not much different from those who are not Christians."

And that is why Jesus asked rhetorically, "Will the Son of Man find faith when He comes to the earth again?" And as we come to the end times, I'm convinced that the distinguishing mark between true Christians and cultural Christians is going to be faith. Walking by faith or walking by feeling is going to be the great divide between wheat and chaff and sheep and goats.

Then why did Sarah do that? Why did Sarah do that? She couldn't wait for God to fulfill His promises, His timing, in His way. Look at verse two again. "Oh, the Lord kept me from having children." Listen to me. Beloved, listen. Be careful when you start feeling sorry for yourself.

Have you ever felt sorry for yourself? I sure have. I thank God they don't last for very long. God is working a miracle in your life when you surrender to Him, so don't blow it. Sarah was thinking that she was being selfless, and she ended up wronging Hagar, wronging Abraham, but above all she wronged herself.

Beloved, listen to me. We often make the same mistake that Sarah made. We presume on God's grace on the one hand, and then we try to help God out on the other. What about Abraham? Oh, bless his heart, he went along with the scheme. I mean, he could have said, "Sarah, button up. God promised."

"Sarah, sugar plum," whatever they called them back then, you know. "God said." But he went right along. He went with the program. It was the natural thing to do. It really was. But, beloved, listen to me, be careful when you do the natural things, because you are hindering the supernatural.

But praise God. He often rules our silly schemes. He often redeems our foolish plans and then reveals His faithfulness in the process. Nursery rhymes that we taught our children. You know, Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king's horses and all the king's men could not put Humpty Dumpty together again. Do you know why?

Because Humpty Dumpty needed the king. And only the king can put Humpty Dumpty together again. And let me tell you, if your life is falling apart, if you're going through difficulties, if you're going through times that you don't understand, if you are suffering in any way, remember this, the King wants to put you together again.

You've heard all the arguments that come from our culture. Positive thoughts will bring about miracles, visualization will bring about miracles, meditation will bring about miracles. Beloved, listen to me, the truth is, only faith in the promises of God will bring about the power of God.

And Sarah decided to write her own book, entitled, "Homemade Recipe for a Miracle." Abraham will be able to have a son, oh, the son that he always wanted. Isn't that wonderful? Isn't that dandy? Isn't that a great idea? Man, this is a wonderful scheme of mine.

Well, it wasn't a recipe for a miracle, it was a recipe for disaster. But God, in His sovereign plan, and I've been thinking about this lately quite a bit actually, why God, in His sovereign plan, allowed for Ishmael to be born, and to be a large nation. And I am convinced now that it was so that they may be a constant rebuke to the children of God for their unfaithfulness to Him.

Go down a few verses in Genesis 16. As soon as Sarah's scheme succeeded, and Hagar got pregnant, Sarah said, "Abraham, where are you? Look at what you've done. Abraham, it's all your fault. Get rid of her."

Beloved, be careful. Be careful doing that which may look heroic on the outside. Be careful. That may look heroic on the outside, but on the inside, it's filled with pride. Be careful of giving the appearance of self-sacrificing on the outside. When you have ulterior motives on the inside.

Our outer acts may look heroic, but invariably it's full of selfishness and pride. Look at it here. As soon as Hagar got blessed with a son, Sarah's false pride surfaced. I mean, Sarah's wrong motives popped up their ugly head, and you can imagine poor Abraham saying, "But, Sarah, honey, it was your idea."

Now, guys, that is a bad thing. You don't do that, because Sarah would have said to him, "I said, Abraham, don't confuse me with the facts, my mind is made up. Get rid of her." But that's not all. Do you know that between Genesis 16 and Genesis 17, there are about 13 years of Sarah trying to forget her past scheme.

13 years of Sarah trying to get over that part on her effort to help God out and failed. 13 years of pretending that it was just a nightmare. 13 years of Sarah contemplating what she had done. And in Genesis 18, the pre-incarnate Christ. The pre-incarnate Christ with two angels show up in Abraham and Sarah's tent.

You have heard the saying, "Entertaining angels unaware?" That's where it comes from. And Sarah and Abraham exercised hospitality and generous hospitality to the strange visitors. To Sarah's credit, she never complained about Abraham bringing guests for dinner without notice.

And here in Genesis 18:9, the Lord asks for Sarah by name. He asks for her by name. Please listen to me, beloved friend, listen to me. When the pre-incarnate Christ asked for Sarah by name, it was not to condemn her. It was not to rebuke her. It was not to remind her of her past failures. It was not to scold her over her past schemes.

No, my friend, He asked for her by name so that He may overwhelm her with His grace, so that He may give her the good news, so that He may bestow on her the gift of faith, so that He may affirm His promises to her, and so that He may remind her and Abraham of His faithfulness.

And so the Lord said, "This time next year, Sarah, you're going to have a baby." "What? Me? You're kidding?" And she laughs. Well, here's her weakness again. Here her inability to believe God again. Here's her doubt again. Here is her cynicism again. And so in verse 14 of chapter 18, the Lord said, "Is there anything too difficult for the Lord?"

Sarah, you thought that I have the power to close your womb, but I also have the power to open your womb. Poor old Sarah, she couldn't win for losing. When she was confronted by the Lord about her laughter and about her cynicism, she lies. And she says, "Who, me? I didn't laugh. It wasn't me."

Poor Sarah, she did not know that she was talking to the Lord of life. That this is the one who sees the very secrets of our hearts. This is the one who knows our very thoughts before we think them. He knows our reaction before we act on them. He knows He's the one who sees everything. He's the one who knows everything. He's the one who hears everything.

Most likely, right after that, Sarah felt deep conviction and said to Abraham, "My days of doubt are over. My days of disbelief and disobedience are over. Have it my boy. Your wish is my command. Let's get on with it. I now believe God."

And so Hebrews 11:11, "By faith, Sarah herself received the ability to conceive even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who promised." So, my beloved friend, I'm going to ask you this, "What are your weaknesses? What are your weaknesses? What do you do with these weaknesses? Do you confess them and allow God to empower you to overcome them or even use them for His glory?"

"Do you surrender them so that He may bring victory out of them?" Father, it is incredible to think about Your graciousness. Lord, so many of us fall in the trap of thinking that we can deserve Your grace. And somehow in Your sovereign will, You allow us to experience that grace in the times when we least feel we deserve it, because that's what it is, it is Your grace.

And just as Your grace overwhelmed Sarah's doubt and cynicism, oh, God, I pray that You will allow Your grace overcome all of our weaknesses, whatever they may be. Father, that we would not allow the enemy of our soul to get us focused on these weaknesses and keep us from being effective and keep us from witnessing and keeping us from serving, and keep us from being the sent ones, the ambassadors who reconcile the world to You.

And Father, I pray for Your power. You're a generous God. You give us more than what we ask. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Guest (Female): Thank you for taking time in your day to listen to the Bible teaching of Dr. Michael Youssef. Not only heard in this neighborhood, but in neighborhoods across six continents in 28 languages. Dr. Youssef leads a ministry called Leading The Way. You can find out more about the ministry at LTW.org.

Also know, when you visit LTW.org, I want to encourage you to take a moment, learn about the multiple ways that Dr. Youssef and Leading The Way teams are impacting lives. You see, across six continents, in addition to audio, people are encountering the good news of Jesus through video and digital media and The Kingdom Sat.

An important part of Leading The Way's mission to passionately proclaim uncompromising truth across the globe is our special satellite television channel, The Kingdom Sat, broadcasting 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The Kingdom Sat Television channel is spreading the life-giving truth of the Gospel to the world's most spiritually needy populations, covering hundreds of millions of homes across North Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. The Kingdom Sat is a major arm of Leading The Way's global ministry.

A unique approach to Christian broadcasting, The Kingdom Sat fuses the best of both the West and the East. Alongside Dr. Youssef, prominent speakers from the Western world have joined with indigenous partners in the region to create a fusion of programming that will speak truth to viewers in restricted regions. Programming on The Kingdom Sat is diverse, covering topics like evangelism, apologetics, teaching, discipleship, Bible study, praise and worship, as well as programs specifically designed for children.

The Kingdom Sat also features special live broadcasts, including live events from the Middle East region. With a dedication to accurate and digestible biblical teaching, The Kingdom Sat is a perfect platform to reach the lost in hard-to-reach countries, as well as for converts who are persecuted or new believers who don't have access to local churches for discipleship.

The Kingdom Sat is not only a satellite channel, while it does cover millions of homes through its satellite broadcasts, it's also available across a host of digital platforms, including Apple TV, Roku, Amazon, IPTV, social media, and mobile apps. Through The Kingdom Sat, Leading The Way is reaching the hardest to reach places around the globe with the life-saving truth of Jesus.

To find out more how you can get involved in the work Leading The Way is doing around the world, contact us today. Partner with Dr. Youssef today. Call 866-626-4356. Or go to LTW.org. This program is furnished by Leading The Way with Dr. Michael Youssef, passionately proclaiming uncompromising truth.