Struggle – Sermon Illustration Ideas

Suffering Against the Crowd

against the crowd, Different, Struggle

When we do not follow the crowd of our generation, when we walk against the flow, we can experience suffering. If you were ever…

Not Barbie World

Journey, Maturity, Status, Struggle, worldly systems

Barbie was a blockbuster movie and caused a lot of commentary on gender roles, patriarchy, and matriarchy. “Rather than offering a blind affirmation of feminism…

A Powerful Love

Father, Love, Pride, Struggle

. In the children’s book Sidney and Norman: A Tale of Two Pigs, Norman is tidyand organized. Sidney struggles, and Norman judges him for…

Jesus Did It First, For Us

Guidance, Jesus, Silence, Struggle

Children taking swimming lessons are instructed to jump into the water from theedge of the pool. For many children, this is terrifying. It’s not…

Mercy And Judgment

Challenges in Life, Circumstances, God's Judgment, Jesus' Death, Jesus's Resurrection, Judgment, Mercy, Struggle

The judgment of the world is rarely tempered by mercy, making us apt to misidentify the world’s sufferings as the judgment of God. The…

Struggle for Power

God's power, Power, Sin, Struggle

After the credits at the end of Marvel’s Thor movie, a hidden scene shows a conversation among Dr. Selvig, Nick Fury, and Loki. In…

“I’ve Been to the Mountaintop”

God's Promises, Progress, Racism, Struggle

In his final speech, Martin Luther King Jr. declared, “But it really doesn’t matter with me now, because I’ve been to the mountaintop. ……

The Importance of Honesty

Failure, Honesty, Perseverance, Struggle, Transparency

It’s important for Christians to realize and express with humility both their failures and their perseverance to grow as believers. It is easy to…

Derek Redman

Dependence On God, Faithfulness, God's Faithfulness, Struggle, Struggles, Trials, Trusting God, Weakness, Weaknesses

During the 1992 Olympic Games, runner Derek Redman was injured as he rounded the final turn and was unable to complete his race, until…

No Pain, No Gain

Growth, Pain, Resistance, Sacrifice, Struggle

“No pain, no gain!” Have you heard this as you were working out? The phrase stresses the idea that growth comes about painfully, through…

Undercover Humiliity

2 Corinthians 8:9, Baptism, Christian Life, Employment, Hebrews 4:15, Hidden, Humility, Identification, Luke 2:51, Luke 9:58, Organization, Philippians 2:7, Struggle, The Incarnation, Undercover

The reality show Undercover Boss has been on TV for 6 years and while it’s not taken as seriously anymore, the show was an…

Jekyll And Hyde

Battle, Belief, Double-Minded, Faith Doubt, Hebrews 11:1-40, James 1:7-8, John 20:27, Luke 24:38, Mark 9:24, Matthew 14:31, Proverbs 3:5-6, Struggle, Tension, Unbelief

In the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dr. Jekyll is a peaceable man with many friends and a positive stature in the community….

Choosing Faith

1 Corinthians 15:10, 1 Timothy 1:12-14, Acceptance, Acts 10:15, Faith, Galatians 5:14, Grace, Gracious, Judgment, Matthew 22:39, Over-Achievement, Pressure, Struggle, The Gospel

One of Shauna Niequist’s books is called Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living. She seeks to…

The Benefits of Self-Control

1 Corinthians 10:13, 1 Corinthians 9:25, 2 Timothy 1:7, Benefit, Fighting, Love, Perseverance, Proverbs 16:32, Reward, Romans 12:1-2, Self-Control, Sin, Struggle, Temptation, United

In the 1970s, psychologist Walter Mischel conducted an experiment where he gave a group of children the choice to either eat a cookie immediately…

Sharing The Load

1 Corinthians 13:4-8, Body of Christ, Condition, Discipline, Galatians 6:2, Growth, Hebrews 10:24-25, John 14:26, Luke 10:30-37, Respect, Struggle, Teamwork, The Church, Unity, Victory

In 2005, a biographical film about high school basketball coach Ken Carter was released called Coach Carter. In the film he takes on a…

Gracious Engagement

1 John 4:7, 1 Thessalonians 5:11, Anxiety, Depression, Engagement, Ephesians 2:19, Freedom, Grace, Hebrews 10:24-25, Mental Illness, New Life, Romans 12:10-13, Shame, Struggle, Support

Adam4d is a popular Christian webcomic that is often shared on social media. One comic specifically addresses the shame Christians who struggle with depression…