"Advancing Through Adversity"
by Charles Stanley
There are many people who get stuck in life’s hard spots, too scared or too bitter to move through the difficulty. Instead, these folks wait for the Lord to remove the trial, and yet He doesn’t always work that way. But God wants His children to trust Him so they can advance through their adversity.
The way that a person responds to hardship reveals his or her true character. And tough situations are the times when God’s children most need to match actions to words. It’s easy to say, “I trust the Lord” or “My God is faithful” when life is good. But unless believers recognize that He is sovereign even in adversity, they may be tempted to complain and seek pity. Christians who trust in the Lord’s faithfulness and supremacy will steadfastly focus on Him and as a result will see their anxiety and doubt subside.
In order to conquer adversity, we must begin moving through it. Even though we may not know what God’s purpose is, it’s essential for a suffering believer to surrender to His will. We certainly won’t like the pain, and we’ll definitely want the situation to change—fast. But giving the Lord free rein allows Him to mature our faith, conform us to the likeness of His Son, and fulfill His unique plan for our lives.
Surrendering does not seem like a way to advance anywhere. But in reality, we’re just handing over the controls to God and saying, “You guide me where You want me to go.” Doing so requires a lot of trust, but we serve a Lord who is worthy of our faith and confidence.
2 comments:
This is so timely for me. A close friend moved to Heaven on November 1st. On November 14, my Mother-in-Love moved to Heaven, too.
Both were unexpected and sudden.
It's been a hard month to move through, but praise God, I know they're with Him. It's hard to go through the feelings of loneliness that this entails.
Thanks for sharing this with me.
Blessings,
Laura of Harvest Lane Cottage
Laura,
I am so sorry to hear about your recent loss. If you need someone to talk to, please do not hesitate to write to me and I will seek to be a blessing and comfort to you. It's always helpful and nice when we have someone to share our heart and burdens with.
Know that God is with you and you can trust and rest in Him to carry you through this heartbreaking and difficult time!
The following lines were taken from the movie, "Courageous" and are perfectly apropos for your recent loss:
"There needs to be a grieving process. And the LORD is the One who carries you through it. And it takes time. It takes time for healing. I've heard many people say who've lost a loved one that in some ways, it's like learning to live with an amputation. You do heal, but you're never the same. But I would also say, that those who go through this and trust in the LORD discover a comfort and an intimacy with God that most people never experience. ...{God} doesn't promise an explanation, but He does promise to walk with us through the pain. And the hard choice for you is whether or not you're gonna be angry for the time you didn't have with her or grateful for the time that you did have."
♥ Emma Joy
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