Some Thoughts For The Storm

I was thinking about how we deal with difficult circumstances. Here is some Godly perspective

that may help.

Philippians 4:12-13:

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him (Christ) who gives me strength.

Here are some key points we can derive from the above passage:

• Learning the secret of being content in any situation. 
  (The possibility of perpetual contentment in every circumstance of life.)

• I can do everything through Christ (The one who provides the strength for that contentment.)

• Christ will give me strength  (The one who supplies us with supernatural strength to endure)

Conclusion:  

Christ Gives me the strength to do everything through Him and be content in every situation whether favorable or not.

What does it mean to do everything through Him:

He gives us the passion for serving God, family and ministry.

He gives us the desire to live as a fully devoted follower

He gives us the goals and dreams and gifts to serve Him with.

He also gives us the strength and endurance to fulfill what God has called us to do..

Questions:

Are you content with your situation in life?

Challenge - what necessary changes do I need to make?

Identify a situation you are going through right now that is weighing heavy on you?

Ask/pray for God to enter into your circumstances

Also - Ask yourself  these Questions:

What God is trying to do in my particular circumstance?

Is He trying to get my attention so I focus on Him?

Is He pointing out some sin in my life?

Is God trying to teach me something?

There are many circumstances in life that we will have absolutely no control over. But what we can control is our responses to those circumstances. This is where I get in trouble. I have the tendency to respond to my circumstances with limited perspective and in my own strength causing me to make matters worse. I tend lose the bigger picture and want to carry the burden myself allowing those burdens to weigh heavy on me and in turn causing others to suffer along with me. As a follower of Jesus I should trust God even when life seems out of control. The reason is this: God is at work in every circumstance for our good and for His Glory.

Read the verses below to see what God is up to.

Philippians 1:6:

being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion 

until the day of Christ Jesus.

Philippians 2:13:

for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

The lessons that God is trying to teach us through our circumstances will helps build patient endurance and character. God will allow difficulties to come into our lives, in order to train us to respond to Him in faith, and trust in His promises.

Romans 5:1-5: 

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

James 1:2-5: 

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

What will help us in our time of need is to know what God’s promises are. How can we trust in God’s promises if we don’t know what they are. This is true for all of God's principles. We must take the time to learn how life is meant to be lived as a follower of Jesus. If we truly desire to learn we will discover that followers of Jesus live by faith and trust in God. We will discover that God desires our obedience when it comes to living a life set apart to Him. When we are obedient to God, in essence, we are taking God's principles that are written in the Bible and applying them to our lives. Our obedience shows love for God and becomes a blessing to us as well.

Luke 11:28:
He replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.

John 14:23:  
Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, 

and we will come to him and make our home with him.

1 John 5:3:
This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome

With the help of the Holy Spirit we can begin to receive and apply God’s teaching. 

John 14:26 NIV:
But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

In retrospect, when we examine the different stages of our lives and the difficulties we have experienced, we can see that there were things we really needed to learn. Even though our circumstances were not at all pleasant at the time, they were well worth going through because we were still at a stage of spiritual and emotional maturity that needed to be developed. It is better to have gone through a difficult circumstance and to have learned from it, than continue on a path of self destruction.  As followers of Jesus we need to not allow our circumstances to derail our faith and trust in God. Instead we need to look for the lessons He is trying to teach us and take them to heart.

Let’s allow God to produce an enduring faith and character in each of us .  Let’s trust God to be the true Lord of our lives.

This  passage of scripture helps me when I am struggling :

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NIV:
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 

Just Sayin………………….Dave