Dharius Daniels - Unbreakable Faith

Matthew chapter 15:27. I’m going to start there, verse 27. Matthew 15, verse 27. This is mid-conversation. Watch what this Canaanite woman says to Jesus: she says, «Yes, it is, Lord; even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.» Jesus said to her, «Woman, you have great faith; your request is granted.» And her daughter was healed at that moment.

Part one of this series, «Unbreakable,» I want to talk from this subject: unbreakable faith. Unbreakable faith! Family, I want to ease into this introduction with this axiom. I know I’ve got some note-takers here; here it is: write it down, type it down, take a picture—whatever you need to do to make sure you free up mental bandwidth. Use technology for storage and your brain for creativity. Here’s the axiom, family: it is God’s intention that His creation be bendable but not breakable. I’m going to say it one more time: it is God’s intention that His creation be bendable but not breakable.

In other words, I am suggesting that God has constructed His creation, specifically humans, exclusively humans, with the capacity to bend but with the potential and ability to not break. I want you to catch this: all throughout Scripture, we see God consistently using adjectives and descriptors regarding the resilient, enduring, tough, tenacious, durable, strong, steady, and secure nature of His people. This imagery is beautifully and masterfully portrayed in Psalms 92:12. Watch what He says: «The righteous will flourish like a palm tree.» Don’t miss it; the righteous will flourish like a palm tree. Palm trees have been constructed by the Creator with the capacity to bend but rarely break. You know why? Because palm trees, watch this, were built with the wind in mind.

This is the imagery that God uses to describe the believer. He says the righteous, the person who is in right standing with me and right standing with others, is an individual that has the ability to live life like a palm tree—a person who has been built, who has been constructed for the wind. I don’t know what is blowing in your life; I don’t know the speed at which it is blowing, nor the direction it is coming from. But this is what I do know: I do know your Creator built you with the wind in mind, so no matter how hard it’s blowing, how long it’s been blowing, or what direction it’s coming from—because sometimes it seems like it’s coming from all directions—I want you to know you can bend but not break.

You have been created by your Creator with the capacity to withstand the wind. And wind, ladies and gentlemen, can be used as a metaphor for a number of things in Scripture; here, it is used as a metaphor for the Holy Spirit. But for the purpose of this preaching series, I want us to look at this reality of wind as a metaphor for pressure because whatever the wind blows upon, it puts pressure on. And ladies and gentlemen, in the midst of this pandemic, I know many of us are dealing with a number of different realities, but all of us, to one degree or another, are experiencing some pressure. Some of us are experiencing pressure because we want to keep working, and others are experiencing pressure because we are working. Some of us are experiencing pressure because we’re wondering if we’re going to keep receiving income; others are experiencing pressure because they’re wondering if they’re going to be able to keep paying those they are responsible for.

Somebody is experiencing pressure because they are married, and somebody is experiencing pressure because they aren’t married. Somebody is experiencing pressure because they’re trying to get into a house; somebody else is experiencing pressure because they’re trying to get out of a house. Everyone in this season, this pandemic, is experiencing pressure. Here is the question: is the pressure causing you to bend, or are you breaking?

I believe the efficacy, the effectiveness of God’s Word is not just tied and tethered to what God says. I believe the effectiveness of God’s Word is tied and tethered to when God says it. I believe God not only speaks the right word; He speaks it at the right time. I believe He’s speaking this word because somebody receiving this message, in some area of their life, may be at a breaking point. The wind may be blowing strong, or it may be blowing long, and you’re wondering, «How much more can I take before I break?»

The enemy is communicating with the inner you and attempting to get you to feel like you’re on the edge, about to break. I came today to call that devil a liar and say, «Let God be true, and every man be a liar.» You can’t lose with the stuff God uses because in a palm tree, the root system has been set up in a way to help the tree withstand pressure that comes from any direction.

Ladies and gentlemen, I want you today to use this series to strengthen your roots so that you bend but don’t break. Because somebody’s at a breaking point. You’ve hit a breaking point in a relationship. You’re thinking, «I don’t know; I thought we would make it past this, but now I don’t know.» Someone’s at a breaking point with their mind, saying, «Pastor, I’ve been fighting for peace and wrestling for peace and pursuing peace, but I feel like I’m about to lose it.» Someone’s at a breaking point with their career. Somebody right now needs to hear this message.