Affliction doesn't get to forecast your future.

In this message, Alan unpacks the words of Nahum 1:9: "Affliction shall not rise a second time." He explores the difference between affliction that is permitted for preparation and affliction that seeks to oppress and dominate—and what changes when God speaks not just a promise, but a judicial decree that settles a matter.

Drawing from the lives of Joseph, Mordecai, the Exodus story, and the woman who touched the hem of Jesus' garment, this teaching addresses recurring cycles—old pain resurfacing, fear of regression, emotional bracing, and the sense that past struggles might return. Instead, it points to a shift into established favor, where affliction loses jurisdiction, joy is restored, and the future is no longer shaped by what once ruled.

Affliction ends. Favor remains. And God establishes His people for what comes next.