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I like to start with something funny each week. One day, Adam said to God, God, why did you make Eve so beautiful? God said so you would love her.

He said, God, why did you give her such long, flowing hair? God said the same thing. So you would love her. God, why did you give her such a good figure? God said it again. So you would love her.

Adam said, God, you made her so beautiful, so attractive. Why did you make her so dumb? God said, Adam, that's easy. So she would love you.

Come on, say it like you mean it. This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. I have what it says I have. I can do what it says I can do.

Today, I will be taught the Word of God. I boldly confess my mind is alert. My heart is receptive. I will never be the same in Jesus' name. God bless you.

I want to talk to you today about I'm still standing. We all go through difficulties and things we don't understand. It's easy to get discouraged and think, why am I having these problems?

But being a person of faith doesn't exempt us from difficulties. The scripture says rain falls on the just and the unjust. No matter how good of a person you are, no matter how much you honor God, you're going to have some rain.

The man said to me last week in the lobby, Joel, I'm having more problems than my neighbor down the street that doesn't have anything to do with God. Jesus told a parable about this.

Where a wise man built his house up on the rock. He honored God. Another man built his house on the sand. He didn't. The winds blew, the rains descended and beat upon the houses.

What's interesting is the same storm came to both people, the just and the unjust. If the story ended right there, you would think, doesn't make a difference to honor God.

Same thing happens to me that happens to everybody else. Built my house on the rock, yet I'm on this storm. Got a bad medical report. Child God off course. Lost my biggest client. No, that's not the end of the story.

If you judge it too soon, it may seem like it doesn't make a difference. Jesus went on to tell the man that built his house up on the rock when the storm was over, his house was still standing.

The man that built on the sand, his house had washed away. Here's the difference. When you honor God, the storms may come, but you have a promise that others don't have. When it's all said and done, you'll still be standing.

In difficult times, you have to remind yourself, this is not the end. My house is built upon the rock. The enemy doesn't have the final say. God does. And he says, when it's all over, I'll still be standing.

You may get knocked down, but you won't get knocked out. You may suffer a setback. Have to go through a few things, but don't get discouraged. Don't get bitter. It's just life.

It rains on all of us. The promise God gives us is if you'll stay in faith when the smoke clears and the dust settles, you will not be the victim, you will be the victor, you will still be standing.

All of us can look back at things that should have defeated us, that divorce, that bad break, should have given you a nervous breakdown. But look at you, you're still standing. Happy, whole restored.

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