Weekend Message | What to Do When Pain Shakes Your Faith | Better Together on TBN

  Welcome to the Weekend Message! 

    It's always our pleasure to bring you quality presentations from some of the best Christian teachers in the world! Each video presentation can vary, but whatever the topic, you can be certain that it will be informative and Bible-based.  

We have all been taught how to praise God on the mountaintops, but what happens when you find yourself in a valley so deep and dark that your spiritual foundation begins to crack? 

What do you do when a sudden tragedy, a devastating loss, or a season of relentless suffering makes you question everything you thought you knew about God?

In a profoundly raw and transparent episode of Better Together on TBN, a panel of faith leaders—including Sheila Walsh, Kalley Heiligenthal, Holly Wagner, Blynda Lane, and Dr. Donna Pisani—stripped away superficial religious platitudes to address this exact reality. 

They don’t offer easy, cliché answers. Instead, they share their own gut-wrenching battles with clinical depression, profound grief, and emotional burnout to provide a lifeline for anyone wrestling with doubt.

© Better Together on TBN

If your faith is feeling shaken today, here are the key truths from their conversation to help you anchor your soul.

🔑 Key takeaways from this message:

1. Give Yourself Permission to Lament

Bringing your rawest pain and heartbreak to Jesus, rather than hiding it behind a false smile, builds true intimacy with a God who is never intimidated by your honesty..

2. Move Beyond the "Why" Cycle

Instead of getting trapped in a loop of despair by asking "Why me?" during a tragedy, shift your focus to God's unchanging character to discover His comfort in the dark.

3. Embrace "Micro-Obedience" and Small Faith

When trauma or exhaustion leaves you entirely depleted, focus on "micro-obedience"—taking tiny, simple steps of faith because God can move with faith that is just greater than zero percent.

4. Borrow the Faith of a Trusted Community

When severe pain completely empties your faith, lean on a trusted community of believers to pray over you and carry the heavy burden you cannot lift alone.

    As we finish, feeling deeply hurt or filled with doubt doesn't mean your faith has failed. It means you are human. God is big enough for your toughest questions, gentle with your pain, and entirely faithful to see you through this season.

May God richly bless you,

~Eve

Empty to Be Filled: The Way of Self-Denial (Mark 8:34-35, NIV)

"Give up yourself, and you will find your real self."   - C.S. Lewis, British author, literary scholar and Anglican lay theologian (1898-1963)

Scripture Reading: Mark 8:34-35 (NIV throughout)

Let’s pray: "Lord, thank You for bringing us together. As we study Your Word, open our hearts and help us lay out our own comforts and plans. Teach us what it truly means to surrender control and follow You today. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Introduction: Today, we're looking at Mark 8:34-35, where Jesus completely flips our ideas of comfort and success upside down. He invites us out of "casual fan" mode and into real discipleship, showing us that letting go of control is how we actually find true life.

Question: What is one small, everyday thing you find really hard to give up control over—like the TV remote, your favorite parking spot, or picking where to eat dinner?

The Main Point

Believers will understand that true discipleship requires a shift from self-centered living to Christ-centered surrender, recognizing that losing our earthly self-interest for the sake of the Gospel is the only way to find eternal life.

🔑To get the most out of this lesson, let's look at the backstory and a few key facts first.

✅The True Cost of Following Jesus: Understanding Mark 8:34-35 (NIV)

In Mark 8:34-35 (NIV), Jesus delivers one of His most challenging teachings: to follow Him, we must deny ourselves and take up our cross. To fully grasp this, we have to look at the moments leading up to it.

✅The Turning Point

Right before this, Peter correctly confesses that Jesus is the Messiah. But when Jesus reveals that His mission involves suffering, rejection, and death, Peter objects. Jesus sharply rebukes him, reminding Peter that he is focusing on human desires rather than God's perspective.

✅A Call to the Crowd

Jesus doesn't just pull His disciples aside for this hard truth. He calls the entire crowd over. This proves that the cost of discipleship isn't just for an elite inner circle—it applies to anyone who wants to follow Him.

✅Re-defining the Cross

To the first-century audience, the cross wasn't a symbol of faith or jewelry; it was a brutal Roman execution tool. Carrying a cross meant absolute surrender and a willingness to face social shame or physical death.

✅The Ultimate Trade-Off

In verse 35, Jesus shares a powerful paradox. If you hold onto your earthly comfort and selfish goals, you lose your eternal purpose. But if you give up your life for Him and the Gospel, you find a life that actually lasts.

With the context set, let's look at what this passage teaches.

1. What It Means to Truly Follow Jesus

Jesus is traveling with His disciples near Caesarea Philippi. He pauses and intentionally calls the casual, curious crowd to join His closest followers.

• The Reality: Many in the crowd are looking for a political liberator, free food, or easy miracles.
• The Shift: Jesus stops the casual spectators in their tracks. He raises the bar from passive interest to a radical, high-stakes commitment, laying out the true "cost of admission" for His kingdom.

Up for Discussion: 

• What is the difference between being a casual "fan" of Jesus and being a true "follower"? 
• Why do you think it is so easy for us to slide into a comfortable, passive relationship with faith today?

2. God’s Framework for a Surrendered Life

Jesus outlines a strict, clear path for anyone who chooses to walk behind Him. True discipleship requires three continuous actions and reveals one grand paradox:

The Three Imperatives (Verse 34)

• Deny Themselves: Dethroning your ego and personal ambitions to put Jesus' will first. It means transitioning from "What do I want?" to "What does the Lord want?"
• Take Up Their Cross: Fully accepting the sacrifice, rejection, or social shame that comes with a life of faith. The cross represents an execution of the old self, not a simple piece of jewelry.
• Follow Me: Actively imitating the lifestyle, humility, and daily obedience of Jesus. Walking as an intentional apprentice day by day.

The Divine Paradox (Verse 35)

• Trying to Save Your Life: Clinging tightly to your worldly comfort, reputation, personal control, and material security. Jesus warns that this path ironically leads to losing what matters most—your soul and eternal purpose.
• Losing Your Life for the Gospel: Willingly laying down your rights, safety, and personal agenda for Christ. Jesus promises that this total surrender is the only way to truly secure and save your life.

Up for Discussion: 

• Which of the three instructions—deny yourself, take up your cross, or follow Me—feels the most challenging to practice daily? 
• What does it look like practically to try to "save your life" rather than surrender it to God?

3. What Are You Investing In?

This passage challenges our priorities. We exhaust ourselves chasing comfort, but Christ’s kingdom uses upside-down math: hoarding your life destroys it, while giving it away preserves it. True security only comes when we surrender completely to the Gospel.

Up for Discussion: 

• In what area of your life (like your time, career, or future plans) is it hardest to hand over total control to Jesus? 
• What is one practical thing you can actively "let go of" or sacrifice this week for the sake of the Gospel?

🔎 Conclusion: Following Jesus isn't about adding Him to our schedules—it's about surrendering our whole lives to Him. Let’s choose to step out of comfort mode, let go of control, and experience the true life that comes when we fully trust Him.

Closing Prayer: "Lord, thank You for our time today. Give us the courage to let go of control, deny our comforts, and follow You fully in our lives. Remind us that true life is found only in Your hands. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Grace and blessings,

Margot