What if everything you thought about your pain was backwards? What if you're not the hero who has to fix it all - you're the supporting character in a story God is writing about Jesus? This convicting message exposes the trap of "emotional vampirism" - making your pain your identity and draining everyone around you while refusing to surrender to Christ. Discover why your crisis is God's platform, why His delays reveal deeper love, and how your suffering writes a story about Jesus that brings others to faith.

🎯 What You'll Learn:• Why you're not the main character of your story and what changes when Jesus takes center stage• The three signs you've become an "emotional vampire" feeding on sympathy instead of seeking solutions• How your crisis becomes God's platform for displaying His power and glory• Why God's delays aren't denials but strategic setups for greater revelation of Jesus• The difference between "mostly dead" and "all dead" in the story of Lazarus• How to stop weaponizing your pain and start surrendering it to Christ• Why your suffering isn't pointless but writes a story that brings others to belief

🔥 This Message Is For You If:• Every conversation circles back to your struggles and people seem exhausted after talking with you• You've made your pain and problems your identity instead of finding your identity in Christ• You're more comfortable in crisis than in healing because crisis gets you attention• You've been the main character trying to fix everything and can't figure out why it's not working• You're asking "God if you loved me why didn't you show up?" in your delays• You need to understand why God sometimes waits on purpose to reveal something greater• You're ready to stop draining everyone around you and let Jesus be the hero

📖 Key Bible Passages:John 11:1-44, Isaiah 30:18, Romans 8:18, John 11:25, Romans 10:9

💬 Discussion Starters:• Do your conversations circle back to your struggles? Are people exhausted after talking with you?• Have you made your pain your identity instead of Christ?• How can you interpret your circumstances by God's love rather than God's love by your circumstances?• Who is watching how you respond to your current crisis?• What would change if you stopped being the main character and let Jesus take center stage?

#PainAndPurpose #GodsGlory #EmotionalHealth #ChristianIdentity #SufferingWithPurpose #TrustingGodsTiming #JesusIsTheHero #FaithInCrisis #BiblicalPerspective #ChristianHope

(0:00) Karate Kid Theory - What If Daniel Was the Problem?(2:17) Main Character Energy vs Supporting Character Reality(3:02) Big Idea - Your Pain Is God's Pen(4:31) John 11 - Lazarus Is Sick and Jesus Delays(6:28) Principle 1 - Your Crisis Is God's Platform(7:49) Confessions of a Recovering Emotional Vampire(9:08) When Your Pain Becomes Your Identity(10:40) The Mentorship Intervention - You've Become Exhausting(12:11) Everything Changes When Jesus Takes Center Stage(14:30) Weaponizing Your Pain vs Surrendering to Christ(16:41) How to Help Someone Who's an Emotional Vampire(18:09) Principle 2 - God's Delays Reveal Deeper Love(20:26) Mostly Dead vs All Dead - The Princess Bride Theology(22:19) Four Days in the Tomb - Only God Could Do This(23:49) When Your Loved One Didn't Come Back(26:41) Principle 3 - Your Pain Writes Jesus's Story for Others(28:54) September 11th 2001 - Ashes That Birth a Church(30:26) Who Might Believe Because of How You Respond?(32:05) The Ultimate Story Written at the Cross(33:53) Prayer for Salvation - Surrendering Pain to Jesus(35:26) Three Practical Steps Starting Today