Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
In today’s day and age life is full of all kinds of uncertainty, the trials and difficulties that people are facing everyday is real. In times of hardship and making life changing decisions, who do you turn to for help? Who do you put your hope and trust in?
life as we know it has a way of knocking us down, but how do one overcome and get back up? I will tell you, when life is throwing it’s best at you, you don’t quit. You push through and persevere until you start seeing results no matter how long it takes. To every trial and hardship that you are facing in your life is to make you stronger.
When you can’t see clearly why things are happening, and why your life is turning upside down. To every situation that is happening in your life God has a reason and a plan. A turning point in your life is happening, a shift or a breakthrough that you may be waiting for the longest time.
Trials come to test our faith to see what we are made of. Trials are not pleasant but it comes to either make us better or bitter, stronger or weaker. Trials can bring out the best in us or the worst out of us. It can redefine your character. How much pressure can we take?
Think about diamonds, how they are made and the process it went through. Diamonds were formed within the Earth’s crust under conditions of intense heat and pressure that cause carbon atoms to crystallise forming diamonds.
God wants his children to be strong and to be a warrior, just like Him. God is a mighty warrior and when he goes to war he lets out his battle cry to let others know not to mess with him. Isaiah 42:13 The LORD will march out like a champion, like a warrior he will stir up his zeal, with a shout he will raise the battle cry and will triumph over his enemies.
However, because God wants us to be strong and be a warrior to defeat the enemy, one of the reasons why God allows trials in our lives is to make us stronger. He put us under severe intense pressure and cranked up the heat to refine us so that we will come out as a diamond or like pure gold.
We all grow in the valley, no one grows on the mountain top. On the mountain life is good, finance is great, health is great. And life is flowing smoothly. On the mountain top sometimes we would seem to forget God and his favour and kindness towards our life.
But in the valley, your faith has been but to test. This is where most of us grow and get strong and mature. The valley is what shapes and mould us into what God wants us to be. It shapes our thoughts and changes our ways; it also makes us look at life from a different perspective.
The fact is no one wants to be in the valley, but what we don’t know is that no valley means no growth, no change, and no maturity. Being on the mountain top feels great, we want to live there. However, being on the mountain top produces nothing. Life would just be the same and we would end up into a stagnant mode.
So hold on my brother, and hold on my sister, because weeping may endure for the night but joy comes in the morning. This means that everything that you are going through won’t last forever.
To everything there is a season. God will turn your sorrow into dancing and your weeping into joy. No problem that you’re facing will last forever, it will come to an end. So hold on, be grounded and stay strong during the storm of life. Let Jesus be your anchor, regain your focus on him and ride out your storm. Psalm 30:11-12 You have turned my mourning into dancing for me; you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy.
Don’t carry all your burden by yourself, 1 Peter 5:7 cast all your anxieties on Jesus because he cares for you. Tell him all your pains, and let him know what’s bothering you. Allow him to be your best friend and give him praise and thanksgiving in your circumstance.
Therefore, I’m here today to tell you that there is hope, there is light at the end of the tunnel. And that Jesus is our only hope, he has all the answers to your problems and knows all the pain and sufferings that you are going through.
God is in control and works out everything for our good to those who love him. Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Sometimes it’s hard to understand why things happen or even trying to put all the pieces together. However, learn to trust God he will work things out for you if you just trust him.
Jeremiah 29:11 for I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Going through hard times? Here are 5 practical ways to help you get stronger in tough times.
1. Focus on Jesus, not your problem. We seem to forget often that God is bigger than any and every problem that we are facing in life. He knows it all, don’t magnify your situation and put it above God. He knows how to solve it for you.
2. Meditate on God’s word. Read his words consistently everyday, and apply the things that you have learned into your life. Allow his words to change you.
3. Pray without ceasing: this means that you need to talk to God everyday. You need to connect with him in prayer. Prayer is very essential to our everyday walk with Christ. In order to sustain our relationship with Him we need to pray. God said if you ask it will be given unto you. When you pray, believe what you ask God for and you will receive it.
4. Surround yourself with Godly friends who you can trust to support you. The word of God said we should be there for each other in good times and bad times. God wants us to carry each other burdens and not carry them by ourselves. We should rejoice with our friends when they have accomplishments that they want to share with us. And be there for them in their times of sorrow and needs.
5. Worship God through singing: Praise is a weapon that confuses the enemy and changes your atmosphere.
In conclusion, life is full of uncertainty, the trials that we face are inevitable. However, Jesus said he will never leave us nor will he forsake us. So don’t carry your burden by yourself. Cast all your anxieties on Jesus and he will sustain you and give you peace.