GO THROUGH IT

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

^1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

“When the GOING gets tough the tough get GOING”…

That was the title of a talk given by my dear friend Anna yesterday. Sadly due to some other commitments, I was only able to catch a portion of the content. But what I did catch packed a wallop.

Far too often when the going does get tough we do tend to “GO”…

We GO to the bar.

We GO to the “pity party”.

We GO to the “affair”.

You know what I am talking about right?

Too many times when the going gets tough we don’t stick around or stick through it, we run, hide, medicate or quit instead.

Yet as Anna pointed out yesterday, there is always PURPOSE in our tough times, there is always a REASON to ADVANCE THROUGH adversity rather than run from it!

Proverbs 24:10

You are a poor specimen if you can’t stand the pressure of adversity.

What each of us needs to realize is that adversity is one of God's most effective tools for growing us in our faith!

Charles Stanley puts it this way: “What puts us on our knees is what grows us up.”

Don’t you love that quote?

GOD allows adversity in our lives to bring us CLOSER to HIM, to make us more DEPENDENT on HIM, to bring focus to HIM, and to build our TRUST in HIM. As Charles says it, to GROW US in HIM!

That is why God carefully chooses where He wants to work in our lives and uses pressure and adversity to accomplish His plan.

Therefore we can’t wilt under the pressure or go running from the adversity. Instead we must be courageous and press through it; seeking GOD’s purpose in all of it!

2 Chronicles 15:7

But you (who are devoted to being with God and searching for God) be strong and do not lose courage because your actions will reap rewards.

In intense times of difficulty, we may be hard pressed to understand what God is doing but we can be certain God has a divine purpose in it. It does not matter what the source of the trouble is either. Whether it is from something we caused, from someone else's actions, straight from the enemy or from God Himself, God has a purpose and a plan for it. We can’t lose sight of that fundamental truth!

Romans 8:28

And we know that ALL THAT HAPPENS TO US is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into his plans.

So ask yourself a couple of tough questions today.

How am I handling my circumstances? Do I run to the pity party or the “medication” when times get tough or am I looking to GOD for the purpose in my pain? Do I seek to advance through my adversities or prefer to cower and retreat?

Remember, adversity is the most accurate barometer of our spiritual life. If we want to know the strength and quality of our faith, we need only look at how we handle our troubles.

Never forget!

1 Corinthians 10:13

No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it.

So make a commitment today!

Choose to advance beyond that adversity! GOD promises you will GET through it and be BETTER for it!

2 Corinthians 4:8-9

We are pressed on every side by troubles, but not crushed and broken. We are perplexed because we don’t know why things happen as they do, but we don’t give up and quit. We are hunted down, but God never abandons us....

I love you all!

Freedom Church

Pastor GDelaney