All of us are in desperate need of strength to endure and hope to carry on. Life is difficult and demanding. It’s often filled with pain, heartaches, setbacks, and detours.
In Clinging to Hope, Pastor Chuck Swindoll reassures us that we can endure disappointments and even those unexpected calamities. How? By taking our stand on the strong foundation of God’s Word.
When trials and tribulations rumble in like a fleet of bulldozers to demolish our lives, we can emerge from the rubble with a strong resolve to recover and rebuild. Not just to survive, but to thrive!
Sermons
Below you are able to listen to each message in this new 12-part series, Clinging to Hope, which aligns with Pastor Chuck’s new book. You can also download for free each sermon’s Searching the Scriptures in-depth Bible study to help you dig deep into God’s Word and grow in your relationship with Jesus.
While you can sidestep some troubles, you can’t avoid them altogether. You can always choose, however, your response to them!
Trials have a silver lining. When handled well, they can grow our faith, build endurance, and foster maturity. What good news that troubles in our lives aren’t wasted!
Pastor Chuck applies timeless wisdom on this subject from James 1:2–12. Whether you’re going through a trial or strengthening your resolve for the future, this message can help you lay a foundation of trust in our generous God.
When the early apostles suffered in devastating ways, they relied on God’s help to heal and carry on. Like the apostles, you also can overcome by choosing the same kind of reliance on God.
Follow along in James 5:13–16 and apply its profound truths to your experience. Pastor Chuck explains how suffering gives you a unique opening to comfort others and keeps you from trusting in your own abilities.
Whether you need emotional or physical recovery, turn to the Healer!
What do you do when you or a loved one is ill?
Yes, all life is in God’s hands. At the same time, He often uses people to carry out His will to heal.
Pastor Chuck explains the biblical mandate to ask for and receive medical treatment, the need to pray for restoration, and the healing power of confessing sin. Whether you’re suffering or cheerful, sick or well, follow the direction of James 5:13–16.
For decades, Abraham waited on God to fulfill His promise. After the gift of Isaac arrived, however, God asked Abraham to give him back.
It’s easy to trust God about little things. But giving God our everything? That takes faith!
Join Pastor Chuck as he retraces the steps of Abraham and his beloved son, Isaac. Observe how Abraham’s response to God was immediate, based upon faith alone, and total. Heaven’s commands come with heaven’s provision!
The book of Job depicts an intriguing, behind-the-scenes look at conversations in heaven between God and the enemy. God upholds Job as an exemplar of goodness and godliness.
Study Job 1 and 2 with Pastor Chuck, and grasp how the assaults on Job’s family, health, and belongings threatened to pull him away from God.
Discover how becoming a person of integrity serves as a guard against Satan’s snares! Gain takeaways for handling your own trials and for being a help when your loved ones suffer.
Pastor Chuck dives into compelling scenes from the story of Joseph in Genesis 45 and 50. From a young age, Joseph faced hate, betrayal, cruelty, injustice, and abandonment from those closest to him.
It’s easy to think of Joseph as a “super saint” who could bounce back from such undeserved treatment. But Joseph had a strategy that sustained him in the darkness of the pit and the gloom of the prison.
That strategy? God! He confessed that God sent him, sustained him, and used everything for good. Find fresh inspiration to make this confession your own!
When Goliath shouted his taunts, fear seized the Israelite army. It took an outsider to provide a different perspective on the situation.
Rather than fearing the enemy, David took refuge and strength in the power of God! In this sermon on 1 Samuel 17, Pastor Chuck describes how David looked past the giant to trust in the Lord of Hosts.
Whatever your giant may be—domestic, personal, economic, or spiritual—you can grow in your faith in the One who is above them all.
The apostle Paul knew by experience it was only God’s strength that made him a remarkable saint and a convincing witness for Jesus Christ.
From 2 Corinthians 12:2–10, Pastor Chuck extracts Paul’s lessons and concludes that God’s grace is not only sufficient, but His power works best in weakness!
Consider questions such as: does someone else’s opinion matter too much to you; do you try to hide your lack of knowledge; do you “keep score” of achievements? Listen in to this spiritual check-up!
It’s easy to think we will trust God whole-heartedly if we see uncanny evidence of His working. Yet, that’s often not the case!
Pastor Chuck draws from the account of the Israelites’ Exodus from slavery in Egypt. Even supernatural guidance, deliverance, and provision could not soften their hearts.
Heed this warning against temptation from 1 Corinthians 10:1–13. Understand how you can choose humility, obedience, and submission to God!
A “closed door” can be disappointing. It often feels like rejection and even failure. But can it actually be a magnificent gift from God?
Pastor Chuck Swindoll investigates Acts 16:6–10 about a closed door the apostle Paul contended with. Rather than being the enemy’s work, the closed door turned out to be God’s doing.
Many times, you don’t realize why God blocks one doorway until you walk through the right one. Let this message adjust your perspective on closed doors. Stop trying to pry them open!
The Spirit creates godliness in the believer’s life, but that doesn’t eliminate our own effort!
In Paul’s first letter to Timothy, he instructs his mentee to train himself to be godly. Pastor Chuck examines how Christians should train and what it looks like to grow in Christlikeness.
This practical message illuminates the obstacles to spiritual discipline and shines the light on practices that promote growth. It’s often your quiet moments before God, your private choices, and the inner person you cultivate daily that determines who you become!
Jesus could have commanded armies of angels and demanded respect from his doubters while He walked the earth. Instead, He took on the nature of a servant.
Pastor Chuck contemplates the qualities and outcomes of a humble heart. Follow along in John 13:1–17 as Jesus washes the feet of His disciples.
Face your hindrances to humility and pray about how God is calling you to serve as you listen to this inspiring message.
Searching the Scriptures Studies: Complete Set
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