Treasures of Darkness

I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord..”

…and captured in my journal recordings through all of the many years of darkness, in which the Lord was pleased to let me pass through, so that I may learn the life of faith. I won't be changing the name of the ministry any time soon, but Lisa and I are giving that title to the last few journal recordings we made together, just before the May 1st final public journal recording I made, parts of which were included in the story "Though He Slay Me".
In this short series, Lisa and I captured some our deepest heart wrestling’s and some of our most brilliant spiritual revelations and insights which the Holy Spirit gave us on God's Word and His Ways, after walking through so many years of difficult experiences by faith.

01 - Throwing Hope Overboard: A Raw Conversation on Suffering and Faith

March 27, 2024 - In a raw and vulnerable conversation about Acts 27:18, Michael and Lisa grapple with their profound disappointment and frustration with God after enduring relentless suffering and unmet expectations. They question whether they must abandon all hope for a good life on earth, redefining their relationship with God as one of soldiers or slaves in order to endure and avoid constant offense.

02 - Why God Delays: The True Purpose of Tested Faith

April 06, 2024 - This audio explores the profound question of why God allows His children to endure long seasons of hardship and seemingly unanswered prayers, reframing suffering not as abandonment but as a divine training ground. Michael and Lisa argues that God is most pleased by a strong, tested faith—one that holds on through contradiction and delay—ultimately preparing believers for greater challenges and bringing Him the highest glory.

03 -The Contradiction of Reality: Why God Trains Faith Through Disorientation

April 07 2024. This audio explores the profound disorientation of living by faith in a world that offers a contradictory, pleasure-seeking reality. Michael and Lisa posits that this is not a sign of God's absence but a deliberate training ground, designed to forge a resilient faith capable of withstanding future deceptions and bringing God the greatest pleasure.

04 - Faith Beyond Contradiction: The Ultimate Test of Trust

April 13, 2024. This audio explores the nature of a purified, mature faith, arguing that the highest level of trust is not based on promises or circumstances but on God's character alone. Michael posits that God intentionally leads believers through perplexing trials and apparent contradictions to strip away human-based faith, cultivating a supernatural rest that holds on even when He seems to act contrary to His own word.

05 - Faith is the Only Sense Which Can Make Sense out of The Senseless

April 2024. This message unpacks the journey to the highest level of faith, a trust that holds on even when God seems to act in complete contradiction to His own word and character. Michael argues that God intentionally orchestrates perplexing and painful circumstances to purify our faith, leading us to a supernatural rest that is no longer dependent on sight or human understanding.

06 - Why God Delays: The True Purpose of Tested Faith

April 18, 2024. This audio explores the profound question of why God allows His children to endure long seasons of hardship and seemingly unanswered prayers, reframing suffering not as abandonment but as a divine training ground. Michael argues that God is most pleased by a strong, tested faith—one that holds on through contradiction and delay—ultimately preparing believers for greater challenges and bringing Him the greatest pleasure.

07 - The Fury of Faith: Finding God in the Midst of Bitterness

April 19, 2024. This raw and unfiltered audio recording captures a pivotal moment of spiritual crisis, as Lisa grapples with overwhelming bitterness and fury towards God in the face of relentless hardship and seemingly unanswered prayers. As Michael navigates this intense spiritual battle, he comes to a profound realization: God often allows His children to face devastating contradictions to their faith in order to kill their human-based hope and bring them to a place of utter dependence on Him alone.

08 - Letting Go of All Expectations of Deliverance

April 22, 2024. This message unpacks the journey to the highest level of faith, a trust that holds on even when God seems to act in complete contradiction to His own word and character. Michael argues that God intentionally orchestrates perplexing and painful circumstances to purify our faith, leading us to a supernatural rest that is no longer dependent on sight or human understanding.

09 - From Soul Force to Spiritual Grace: The Divine Breaking

April 23, 2024. This message explores the painful but necessary process of spiritual refinement, where God uses prolonged adversity and suffering to break down our natural, strong-willed human efforts. It contrasts this "soul force" with true spiritual grace, revealing how trusting God through weakness leads to a more gentle, mature, and purified faith that finds peace even in the eye of the storm.

10 - The Death of All Hope BUT Faith

April 25, 2024. This deeply personal reflection explores the nature of faith when God leads us into the overwhelming waters of adversity. Using the poignant memory of learning to swim, Michael illustrates how our heavenly Father often stretches us beyond our perceived limits, creating situations that feel like abandonment in order to teach us a profound and enduring trust.