Hardships
from health crises, financial problems, grief, and broken relationships befall
on us while living in this FALLEN world - Christians and non-Christians alike.
(How do we handle tough times when they come our way).
Even with
all the hardships that come your way, as a Christian, you have access to the
Holy Spirit, who will empower you to overcome each hardship you face when you
ask God to help you.
- Mountaintop experience- We don’t stay on the mountain all the time, we must come down to meet with the world- Make reference to Matthew 17- The transfiguration
Here’s how
you can find strength in tough times by turning to God for help:
“(Tough times don’t
last forever)”
“This is why we never give up. Though
our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present
troubles are quite small and won’t last very long, but they will produce for us
an immeasurably great glory that will last forever! So we don’t look at the
trouble we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet
seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last
forever.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
(Ask God to show you
which way out of hardship)
- Don’t avoid suffering, seek to learn and grow through it.
- Keep in mind that God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy, because holiness has eternal value. Instead of trying to avoid suffering, ask God to use it to accomplish good purposes in your life. Ask God to help you view your hardship from the perspective of how it advances God’s purposes for you.
- If a prayer will not be answered, an equivalent will be given. 2 Corinthians 12
- Follow YOUR FAITH
- Choose to believe God’s promises that He is always in control of your life, He always loves you and cares about you, and He will never leave or forsake you – no matter how you may feel when going through hardships.
- His grace is manifest
- His grace is magnified
- Trust that the Holy Spirit is with you as you deal with hardships, even when you don’t sense His presence or understand what you’re going through
- Be on guard against evil spiritual forces who want to use your feelings to discredit God’s promises. Pray for the faith you need to stand strong on God’s promises to you.
- Paradox…When we are weak, we are strong in the Grace of God
- Instead of asking “WHY- ask WHAT?”
- Simple Definition of…WHY
- for what reason or purpose
- used to offer a suggestion or to say that a course of action is not necessary
- used to express irritation or annoyanceWHAT… is used interrogatively to inquire the reason or purpose of something.
- God may or may not choose to reveal on this side of heaven why He has allowed a particular hardship to enter your life, so asking Him “Why?” may not bring you an answer that you can understand right now.
- However, when you ask God WHAT you can best respond to the hardship you’re facing, He will often reveal some of the good purposes that He wants you to fulfill as you go through the situation.
- Ask God how He wants to use your hardship to draw you closer to Him and accomplish more of the mission He has given you for your life on Earth.
- Identify the POSSIBLE SOURCE of the hardship you’re currently experiencing.
- Hardships may come into your life because of: life’s troubles in this fallen world. Humble yourself before God and ask Him to show you which way out of the hardship.
- Don’t waste your time and energy trying to search for God’s will for you in the midst of your tough time, as if it was a hidden mystery.
- You can already know God’s will for you in the midst of any type of hardship: God’s will is for you to grow into a closer relationship with Him.
- Decide to follow God’s will for you to develop more holiness in your life during tough times.
Application
It is human
to feel weak and sluggish during tough
- Spend time with God often through prayer and reading the Bible. During tough times, it’s especially important to stay connected to God through prayer and reading His Word, the Bible. (Not bible commentary books) , Don’t substitute the WORD of God!
- Pour out your prayer requests to God with the confidence that He cares and is always listening. I’m not asking you to stop everything and go on your knees
- Ask the Holy Spirit to help you bring your prayers into alignment with God’s desires for you. Get biblical truth into your soul regularly by hearing, reading, studying, memorizing, and meditating on the Bible. Romans 10:17… “Faith comes by hearing the WORD of God…