I Will Not Die In My Dilemma

Text: Genesis 15:12-16; Acts 2:22-27
Preacher: Rev. Jeff Arnold

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Rev. Jeff Arnold delivered a powerful message about transforming life’s troubles into testimonies, emphasizing that our dilemmas are divinely orchestrated to propel us toward our God-given destiny rather than destroy us.

The Foundation: Divine Destiny Cannot Be Defeated

The sermon opened with a powerful declaration from Acts 2:24:

“Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.”

Key Truth: Just as it was impossible for hell to hold Jesus, it is impossible for our troubles to permanently defeat us when we understand our divine destiny.

The Principle of Divine Purpose Before Problems

From Genesis 15:12-16, Rev. Arnold highlighted God’s prophetic word to Abraham about future affliction:

“Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.”

Important Truth: God revealed the purpose and the outcome before the problem even began. The affliction was part of the divine plan to bring about greater blessing.

The Power of Perspective: Purpose Over Problems

Revolutionary Mindset: When you understand that God’s purpose was established before your problem arrived, the problem cannot:

• Wreck your faith
• Steal your vision
• Kill your hope
• Define your destiny

Divine Strategy: God allows adversity not to destroy us, but to purify our spirit and position us for His ultimate plan.

Personal Testimony of Transformation

Rev. Arnold vulnerably shared his own struggles:

The Reality of His Dilemma

• Financial devastation and humiliation
• Business deals that backfired
• Owing $400,000 in debts
• Public embarrassment in his city
• Sleepless nights of crying and despair

The Declaration of Faith

Despite overwhelming circumstances, he declared:

“I’m not going to die in my dilemma. I’m going to come out of this. I don’t know when, I don’t know how, but I know I’ve got 700% coming my way.”

The Assurance: God cannot lie, and His promises remain true regardless of present circumstances.

The Necessity of Opposition for Greatness

Biblical Principle: From Psalm 113:7-8:

“He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill; That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people.”

Physical Truth: Muscles grow through resistance, not comfort. Similarly, spiritual strength and character develop through adversity.

Divine Strategy: God uses opposition to:

• Develop our spiritual muscles
• Push us to higher levels
• Transform our character
• Prepare us for greater responsibility

The Value of Betrayal and Adversity

Controversial Truth: We need people in our lives who:

• Cheat and lie to us
• Deceive and betray us
• Cut us deeply

Divine Purpose: These experiences help crucify our flesh and step us into resurrection life.

Testimony Power: Once you’ve been betrayed and resurrected, you can declare: “I am he that was dead and am alive forevermore.”

Gratitude for Opposition: Rev. Arnold boldly stated: “God bless you, bro. I need somebody to betray me because that betrayal steps me into a level of blessing that I could not get without betrayal.”

The Pearl Principle: Transforming Irritation into Beauty

Natural Illustration: When an irritant enters an oyster, the oyster has two choices:

1. Remain Agitated: Live with constant irritation and resentment
2. Transform the Trouble: Secrete coating after coating around the irritant until it becomes a precious pearl

Spiritual Application: We can either:

• Let trouble become a barrier that embitters us
• Transform trouble into a blessing that helps others

Eternal Perspective: The New Jerusalem has 12 gates made of pearls - each gate represents Jesus’ transformed troubles becoming gateways for people to enter God’s presence.

The Choice: Barrier or Blessing

Personal Decision: Every believer must choose what to do with their troubles:

Option 1: Let It Become a Barrier

• Always carry a chip on your shoulder
• Constantly recall past hurts
• Live in perpetual agitation
• Let bitterness define your life

Option 2: Transform It Into a Blessing

• Wrap God’s solution around the irritation
• Create something beautiful from the pain
• Use your testimony to help others
• Let your transformed trouble become a gateway for others

The Journey to Greatness

Divine Declaration: “I’m on my way to greatness. I’m on my way to being a better person.”

Requirements for Victory:

• You must overcome something to be victorious
• You must transform trouble into testimony
• You must embrace the process of purification
• You must trust God’s timing and methods

The Ultimate Truth: Destiny Overrides Everything

Powerful Reality: True destiny is so powerful that it can override:

• Death itself
• Demonic opposition
• Disasters and setbacks
• Human betrayal and opposition

Jesus’ Example: His destiny was so powerful that even hell couldn’t hold Him. The devil didn’t take Jesus to hell - His destiny took Him there, and His destiny brought Him out with the keys of death and hell.

The Call to Embrace Your Process

Rev. Arnold concluded with a challenge for believers to:

Change Your Perspective

Stop giving the devil credit for your troubles and recognize God’s hand in your process.

Embrace the Resistance

Welcome the opposition that builds your spiritual strength and character.

Transform Your Troubles

Don’t waste your pain - use it to create something beautiful that can help others.

Trust the Timeline

God’s timing is perfect, even when we can’t see the end from the beginning.

Declare Your Destiny

Boldly proclaim that you will not die in your dilemma but will come out with great substance.

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“All things work together for good to them who are the called according to his purpose.” — Romans 8:28

The message of “I Will Not Die in My Dilemma” is a powerful reminder that our greatest troubles are often disguised setups for our greatest triumphs. When we understand that God’s purpose was established before our problems arrived, we can transform every irritation into a pearl, every setback into a setup, and every dilemma into a destiny. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is working in us to ensure that we not only survive our struggles but thrive because of them.

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Watch the full sermon here.