It’s not until bad knocks at our doors that we find out just where we stand with God. It is easy to quote scripture, to say Amen, or to even tell someone else that God is good when things are going well for us. But what about when we start to face tough times? What happens to me when my health starts to fade, when my job lets me go, or when I lose a loved one? I have all the perfect advice for others. “Trust God, He’ll see you through this”, I tell them. I’ve got all the answers, until it happens to me. Here are three things to do when we find ourselves in a tough spot and we don’t know what to do with our faith.
1. Take My Own Advice
How many times have you prayed for a friend or family member who was going through a rough patch, but as soon as you start feeling the storm brewing in your own life, the thought of prayer seems to never enter the picture. We tell others to trust God, but we find it hard to keep our trust from wavering as each moment passes. We tell others to be patient and be willing to wait and see what God will do, but when it happens to us we never sit still. We find ourselves trying to “help God out” because He’s moving too slow in our situation. Believe it or not, if the advice that we offer our friends is wisdom from the Word of God, it is perfect advice to follow in our own lives.
2. Remind Myself That Being A Christian Doesn’t Exempt Me From Suffering
Suffering is not something that we look forward to, or ever want to experience, but it is a part of life. There is not a single person on this planet that escapes suffering. That man that always keeps a smile on his face is in the fight of his life with cancer. The woman that loves everybody and mentors many young women has to go home to a mean and verbally abusive husband every night. The teenager that comes to school everyday and achieves academic success after academic success has to listen to discouraging words from his alcoholic parents. One of the biggest scams the enemy tries to perpetrate upon our faith is that if we were Christians then why are we going through what we are going through! Jesus suffered, the Apostles and Disciples suffered, and the Prophets suffered so why do we think that we won’t suffer anything. Why do we quit on God as soon as things don’t go our way? James says “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.” (James 1:2-3 NLT)
When troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.
3. Don’t Throw In The Towel
“So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you!” (Hebrews 10:35 NLT). When bad things happen to me, I can cry, doubt, become angry, and even plead my case. The one thing that I cannot do is thrown in the towel on my faith. I know that life isn’t going to always be sweet. I know that I will sometimes have to deal with bitter moments in life, but those moments must never make me bitter toward God. “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT). While we don’t jump up and down in excitement when our lives seem to be turned upside down, we must refuse to allow life to keep us down because we know that there is greater in store for us beyond our current circumstances. So go ahead and cry out to God. Let Him know your pain and your hurt. Let Him know that you’re confused and lost right now. Let Him know that you need His help to keep you from falling away. But whatever you do, DON’T give up on God. “Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.” (Romans 8:18 NLT).
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