As many believers find themselves overwhelmed by spiritual battles, emotional heaviness and daily hardship, Pastor Chris Garcia delivered a timely reminder: this is not just suffering, it’s spiritual shaping.
“You are not going through it, you are growing through it,” Garcia declared during a recent sermon. “This is not something happening to you. You are happening in the process.”
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Preaching from Romans 5, Garcia explained how tribulation is a divine invitation, not a punishment. “We exalt in our tribulations,” he said, emphasizing how suffering produces perseverance, then proven character, and ultimately hope that doesn’t disappoint. “Suffering can be anything—it can be a pressure and affliction against the soul,” Garcia noted, whether financial stress, family strain or spiritual oppression.
For those wondering why the weight feels so heavy lately, Garcia didn’t shy away from the answer: “God will allow you to go through the fiery furnace for the object of being purified.”
But in that fire, believers aren’t alone. “You’re either coming out of a tribulation or you’re about to go into one because God loves us so much, He doesn’t keep us stagnant,” he said. “He causes us to grow from glory to glory.”
Garcia encouraged the church not to see trials as setbacks but as setups. “Your test will become a testimony, your tragedy a triumph, your low place becomes a high point in which people can receive.”
He also reminded the congregation of the eternal weight behind temporal suffering. “Every wound that Christ bore brought healing to humanity, and if we’re called to walk with Christ, every wound that we go through will bring healing to those around us.”
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The sermon closed with a declaration that resonated with many in the room and online: “Say this with me—I am growing through it!”
As Christians across the nation and around the world face rising challenges, Garcia’s message brings hope rooted in Scripture and grounded in the transformative power of grace. “He’s forming proven character. He’s replicating Himself through your being.”
James Lasher is staff writer for Charisma Media.
