Fearlessly CourageousDesk of Dennis Piller3 30 2023Click for Audio Version
The Prosperity of Adversity
Walking with God will never be an easy road. John 16:33 Reminds Us Jesus Has Conquered Death. He has overcome the world and promises to bring you into His perfect presence forever and ever. Jesus says, “You will have tribulation in this world. Don't be surprised by it, but I speak peace into the middle of that because I have overcome the world. Take heart.2 Corinthians 6:4In everything we do, we are to show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. Why, because we are his servants. His ambassadors. We are here to show his glory in every way we act and walk and have our being. But to be that for God we must be in step with Him. We must know him in the Spirit. Light and darkness cannot be in fellowship and we are crossing that line in too many areas and we defile ourselves and walk around as weak Christians of Faith. Christ and Satan cannot work together. Neither can we. Christians are God's temples on earth since His Spirit lives in them. That's why they must separate themselves from any kind of formal, binding relationship with unbelievers.
Let's look, at some ways of dealing with difficulties from a scriptural perspective.
1. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6 2. Seek God’s Wisdom: Psalm 73:16-17 NIV -“When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny”. This means I went before God, I told him why I was here. My reasonings, my heartfelt thoughts and desires. It means we repent if necessary. Nothing is more offensive to God than the man who says I am here to serve you…be your man…be your example of priesthood, but fail because he sees the real motives of our hearts. He knows we are not even being honest with ourselves but he has an answer. He will talk with you and lead you in his truth.
Why are these storms in life so compelling to so many millions of people across the ages?Because these stories represent our own lives.
In Acts 27: The Centurion told the pilot and owner of the ship, that we should sail on when Paul told them not to sail to Crete. But the owner rather listens to the Roman Centurion and when the storm came they were all but lost. Common Mistakes: We have the tendency of listening to the wrong people and wonder why we are in trouble. We follow the crowd: We want to be included…accepted… How often has that happened to you or you can certainly see it in the peer pressure of our children’s drama-filled schools and friends? In vs 18, it says “And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship” What an overlooked gem in the heart of this verse. Immediately lighten your load! Throw overboard, anger, despair, pride, bad habits, wrong thinking, and past failures. Sin. – Can we ever truly arrive at One-Ment with God without passing through life's many storm-tossed seas? God cannot save those who don’t need saving. Is that you? You know, I’m good. I have accepted Christ. I do a pretty good job …No,…I’m good. 3. Pray: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Ask God to open your eyes to see what he sees. What is his direction? Where is the peace? He promises his peace in the midst of the storm. Do you have God’s peace in the midst of yours? Wrong responses are to drift in our uncertainty. To abandon reaching out to our accountability partners or those spiritually minded that you can trust. Or we fall into despair, paralyzed, and unable to do anything. 4. Confess your part in the storm: “A man who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be successful. But if he confesses and forsakes them, he gets another chance”. Proverbs 28:13 LB
He will prosper you in your adversity. Grow you through your trials!
5. Have Faith: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1 Be careful for nothing. Let your moderation be known to all men. Take delight and satisfaction in walking with God through the storm. Lets others see Christ's influence in your life, desiring them to want God more in their lives. Philippians 4:6 6. Rely on God’s Strength: “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13
When we turn to Jesus Christ, we are able to do things we never dreamed were possible. Or survive things we wish we never had to face. I pray you are listening. What is the answer?JESUS! He is the ultimate provider…always. He knows what you need…and want and he knows when to give it to us as a loving Dad. God will use our difficult circumstances for His good and for our benefit. I pray you are holding to your fast between now and Easter. it's not too late to start. Sadly I must admit. I started late too.
