What to Do When You Feel Spiritually Stuck | Philippians 3 Sermon in Livermore, CA

• Table of Contents:

  • Understanding that growth with Jesus is a process

  • Living with the right perspective

  • Holding on to the progress God has already built

  • Finding spiritual parents and mentors

  • Setting your mind on heaven, not just earth

  It is hard to be stuck anywhere you never wanted to be in the first place. That feeling is frustrating in a parking garage, on the side of the road, or in a long season of uncertainty. But it is even heavier when the place you feel stuck is spiritual.

  Maybe you feel stuck in anxious thought patterns. Maybe you are stuck in a relationship cycle that keeps breaking trust and peace. Maybe you are stuck in a habit, temptation, or sin that you keep returning to even though you desperately want freedom. The reality is that most people do not want to stay stuck, but many do not know how to get unstuck.

  In this message from Philippians 3:10–21, Arroyo Church walks through five practical, biblical steps for what to do when you feel spiritually stuck. This is not a message about trying harder in your own strength. It is a message about pursuing Jesus, trusting His grace, and moving forward with unstoppable joy.

  For anyone looking for a church in Livermore CA or searching for hope in the spiritual desert of the Bay Area, this message offers both truth and encouragement: God does not leave you stuck where He found you.

  Body Content:1. Pursuing Jesus is a processOne of the most freeing truths in this passage is that spiritual growth is not instant. The Apostle Paul says he wants to know Christ more deeply, even though he already knows Him. Paul had planted churches, preached the gospel boldly, and lived with remarkable faithfulness, yet he still said he had not reached perfection.That matters because it means your growth in Christ is also a process.Following Jesus is not a one-time emotional moment and then automatic maturity. Yes, when you trust in Christ, you are forgiven, made right with God, and welcomed into His family. But after that begins the lifelong journey of knowing Him more deeply. Growth takes time because we still live in a broken world, surrounded by brokenness, inside bodies that still wrestle with sin.Sometimes growth is dramatic. Sometimes it is slow and hidden, like roots growing under the surface before anything visible appears. Some days you will feel strong. Other days you may feel stagnant. But none of that means God has abandoned His work in you.The good news is that God is patient in the process. He does not walk away when you stumble. He does not stop loving you when growth feels slow. His patience is not permission to stay passive, but it is a reminder that failure is not the end of your story.Real change begins when you stop pursuing Jesus out of guilt and start pursuing Him because He first loved you. That is the heartbeat of the gospel.

  2. Live with the proper perspectivePaul says he is forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. That does not mean pretending the past never happened. It means refusing to let your past define your future.Many people stay spiritually stuck because they live mentally anchored to old shame, old failures, old wounds, and old patterns. The enemy loves to keep replaying what was. God, however, keeps calling you toward what can be through His grace.Maybe your past includes a fractured marriage, financial mistakes, addiction, regret, or years of spiritual drift. Those things are real. They should be acknowledged honestly. But they should not become the controlling narrative of your life.When your focus stays on the past, you move backward. When your focus shifts to the future God has for you, you begin to move forward.This is especially important in a region like the Bay Area, where many people are carrying quiet exhaustion, private discouragement, and deep spiritual hunger under outward success. God’s mercy is new every morning. In the middle of the spiritual desert, He is still making a way forward.

  3. Do not lose the progress you have already madePaul gives a simple but powerful instruction: hold on to the progress you have already made.That is such an important word for anyone in a discouraging season. Feeling stuck can tempt you not only to stop moving forward, but to start sliding backward. When you are tired, disappointed, or spiritually numb, it can become easy to think, “Why keep trying?” That is often when old habits start calling your name again.But one bad day does not need to become a destructive turning point.There are seasons when thriving feels natural, and there are seasons when simply surviving with faithfulness is a victory. In those moments, do not underestimate the value of staying grounded. Keep praying. Keep showing up. Keep worshiping. Keep saying yes to the small acts of obedience that protect what God has already built in your life.The enemy would love to convince you that because growth feels slow, your progress does not matter. But it does matter. Hold your ground in Christ.

  4. Get spiritual parentsPaul tells the church to follow his example and learn from others who are faithfully walking with Jesus. That is a reminder that we were never meant to grow alone.Sometimes the reason you feel stuck is not because God is absent, but because you are trying to navigate a difficult season without wise, godly people around you. We all need spiritual mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters who can encourage us, challenge us, pray for us, and help us take the next step.This is one of the reasons church community matters so much. Growth often happens in relationships before it is visible anywhere else. When you invite others into your journey, you create space for accountability, comfort, and wisdom.If you are new to Arroyo, this is a great reminder that church is more than a Sunday service. It is a family. You can learn more through About Arroyo Church or begin connecting through Plan Your Visit.And if you have been following Jesus for years, this message is also a challenge: become that steady presence for someone else. Someone around you needs a spiritual parent, not just a friendly face.

  5. Ponder the right placePaul contrasts two ways of living. One life is driven by appetite and focused only on the here and now. The other life remembers that our citizenship is in heaven.This is a powerful key to getting unstuck. What fills your mind will shape your life. When you think only about temporary comfort, immediate gratification, and earthly success, your decisions will be shaped by short-term desires. But when you remember heaven, your perspective changes.Thinking about heaven does not make you less useful on earth. It makes you more faithful here. It gives you hope in suffering and purpose in everyday life. You remember that pain is not permanent, temptation is not ultimate, and your calling is bigger than simply getting through another week.As followers of Jesus, we are not just trying to have better habits or cleaner behavior. We are learning to live as citizens of another kingdom. That is how a church becomes a river in the spiritual desert of the Bay Area. When people know the love of Jesus and show the love of Jesus, hope begins to flow outward into homes, neighborhoods, workplaces, and schools.If you are longing to grow deeper in your walk with Christ, resources like Devotional and community connections through Kids Ministry and other church gatherings can help you keep taking your next step.

  If you feel spiritually stuck, the invitation of this message is simple and hopeful: do not stay there. Growth is a process. Your past does not have to define you. Your progress matters. You need godly people around you. And your mind must be fixed on heaven, not just earth.

  Most of all, remember this: Jesus meets people in the middle of their mess. He does not wait for you to get unstuck before He loves you. He entered our brokenness, died for our sins, and rose again so that we could be forgiven, restored, and made new.

  Where you are weak, He is strong. Where you cannot make a way, He can. And wherever you are today, you can call on His name and find grace for the next step.

Is the Resurrection of Jesus Real and Relevant? An Easter Message for Livermore and the Bay Area

• Table of Contents:

  • Why the resurrection is the most important question

  • Why believing in the resurrection is reasonable

  • How the resurrection reaches anyone

  • How the resurrection gives us living hope

  • What Easter means for your life today

  Suffering is one of life’s hardest realities—and one of the biggest reasons people question God. Whether it’s emotional pain, broken relationships, illness, or loss, we’ve all faced moments where we’ve asked: “God, where are You?”

  At Arroyo Church, we believe in facing hard questions head-on. And this is one of the deepest: Where is God when I am suffering?

  If you’ve ever wrestled with that question, you’re not alone. But the good news is that the Bible doesn’t ignore suffering—it speaks directly into it. And even here in the Bay Area, often described as a “spiritual desert,” God is still moving, still speaking, and still offering hope like a river in the dry places.

  1. Understanding What Started Suffering

  To understand suffering, we have to go back to the beginning.

  God created the world good—perfect, without pain, death, or brokenness. But humanity chose to turn away from God. Sin entered the world, and with it came suffering.

  This means something important: God is not the author of suffering—sin is.

  Instead of blaming God, we can recognize that we live in a broken world. That doesn’t make the pain easier, but it gives clarity. Suffering isn’t proof that God is absent—it’s evidence that something is not as it should be.

  So what do we do with that truth?

  • Don’t blame God for what sin has caused

  • Don’t be surprised by suffering—prepare for it with faith

  When we understand the origin of suffering, we stop asking “Why is this happening at all?” and start asking better questions.

  2. Learn to Pray Honestly About Your Pain

  One of the most powerful truths in Scripture is this: God invites your honesty.

  In Psalm 10, the writer cries out:

  “Why, Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?”

  That’s raw. That’s real.

  God isn’t looking for polished, perfect prayers—He wants a real relationship with the real you.

  When you pray honestly:

  • You release the burden you’re carrying

  • You invite God into your pain

  • You open the door for His peace

  Prayer is not pretending everything is okay. It’s bringing everything that’s not okay to the One who can handle it.

  And here’s the promise: God hears you. He cares. And He responds.

  3. God Is Working Even in Your Suffering

  One of the hardest truths to accept is also one of the most powerful:

  While you are suffering, God is working.

  Romans 5 tells us that suffering produces:

  • Perseverance

  • Character

  • Hope

  Think of suffering like fire. Fire can destroy—but it can also refine. Gold becomes purer through fire.

  The difference isn’t the fire—it’s what’s being refined.

  So instead of asking:

  • “Why is this happening to me?”

  Try asking:

  • “God, what are You teaching me through this?”

  Maybe:

  • That difficult situation is producing patience

  • That painful relationship is teaching forgiveness

  • That uncertainty is growing your trust in God

  God doesn’t waste pain. He uses it.

  4. Believe That God Is Always Good and Powerful

  In Mark 4, Jesus calms a storm while His disciples panic. Before the miracle, they ask:

  “Don’t you care if we drown?”

  They doubted two things:

  • God’s goodness (“Do You care?”)

  • God’s power (“Can You do anything?”)

  Sound familiar?

  When we’re in a storm, fear often reveals that we’ve forgotten one—or both—of these truths:

  • God is good

  • God is powerful

  He’s not one or the other. He’s both.

  That means:

  • If He allows the storm, He has a purpose

  • If He doesn’t stop it, He will strengthen you through it

  God is good even when life isn’t. And He is powerful enough to either change your situation—or change you through it.

  5. The Hope Beyond Suffering

  Here’s the ultimate hope of the Christian faith:

  Suffering is not the end of your story.

  Jesus Himself suffered more than anyone—rejected, beaten, crucified. On the cross, He cried:

  “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

  But three days later, He rose again.

  Because of Jesus:

  • Suffering has meaning

  • Pain has purpose

  • Death is not the end

  Revelation promises a future where:

  • Every tear is wiped away

  • There is no more pain, death, or sorrow

  That’s the hope we hold onto.

  Even here in the Bay Area—where life can feel spiritually dry—Jesus offers living water, a river of hope in the desert.

  So where is God when you’re suffering?

  • He’s beside you

  • He’s listening to you

  • He’s working in you

  • And He’s preparing a future for you

  If you’re in Christ, suffering is not your whole story—it’s just a chapter. And the ending is already written.

  And it is good.