Dependence and Deliverance by Brother Curtis Hansen

         I want to begin by asking you this question. What do you do when trouble comes in your life? Now, there are two different types of responses to this situation. One is a person to run and tell everyone everything they are going through. They seek attention or validation for their problems. The other person is one who is trying to be God over their problem. Their thought process is how can I engineer, manipulate, and control the outcome. These people are essentially trying to control the things they have no control over. 

        It takes humility to go to God. No one who is prideful can get a hold of him. Have you ever considered that some of the things you struggle with in your flesh, God has allowed them for you to reach out and depend on him? 

        We are going to be reading from Mark chapter 5 this morning. We will start reading with verse 22. 

        22 And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw hum, he fell at his feet.

        23 And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live.

        24 And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him,

        Now, we are going to read at verse 35. The verses of 25-34 are the recounting of the woman with the issue of blood. That is a separate message in of itself.

        35 While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further?

        36 As soon as Jesus heard the word the was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.

        37 And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James.

        38 And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly.

        39 And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleeps.

        40 And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying,

        41 And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Tal-i-tha cu-mi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise,

        42 And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment.

        43 And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat.

        Let's look at the man Jairus. He was ruler in the synagogue of Capernaum, so he was a well known religious leader. When he came to Jesus among the throng, it wasn't in panic, nor did he fear. He hadn't gone to others for aid, he went to Jesus. He approached Jesus with humility. In the book of Luke chapter 8 verse 41, it's written Jairus threw himself at Jesus' feet expressing his faith that Jesus could heal his daughter. Trouble, hardships, pressures are just some of the things that are out of your control. It's in the choices you make where you choose your own savior. It could be something in the world, yourself, or it could be Jesus.

        Let's speak about trust for a minute. There's no accurate measure for trust. We have a hunch or assumption but trust takes time to build. We manufacture and engineer ways to get the Lord's attention. There are whole multi day seminars and courses you pay for to do just that. Love is unchanging and everlasting. Trust is a different subject. We control who we trust. It's a matter of how familiar, and how well you know God that is the foundation to when you go to God.

        If you go through the New Testament, the evil spirits are always asking questions to Jesus despite already knowing his authority. You need to assess and analyze your potential troubles. Seek out your circle of close friends for thoughts, advice, and prayer. When you come to trouble, who do you go to? You will never make progress spiritually without a measure of humility. God cares more about you than your position or status in the world. God wants you learning and growing. He does not want you to plateau nor coast through life.

        There are times when our desires don't align with God's desires. When something arises in you, God is at work on it. When we try to control the uncontrollable we become God in our situation. We are rulers of our own kingdom but we don't seek God for guidance. We seek God to bless our individual situation. God cares about your soul than your pride. Trials in life are lessons to be learned, otherwise you are stuck in neutral. There are parts of your life where Jesus is savior but not Lord. You can't get spiritual discernment without humility. Pride will cloud your judgement. Where is your heart when it's not aligned with the word of God? The problems aren't removed by love but by relationships. The relationships are where you have to trust in God.

        Pride brings about anger and self justification. God wants more dependence on him than to deliver you from your situation. He is seeking you to come in submission and humility. In closing, I would ask you to think if Jesus merely savior in your life or is he Lord?