Tag: #Trials

The Temptation of Jesus & Our Temptation Today

Leave a comment

Hebrews 4:15 NLT

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet he did not sin.

The Order of the Temptation of Jesus:

⁃ Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist

⁃ A voice came from Heaven confirming Jesus as God’s Son, whom He loves and who He is well pleased with

⁃ The Spirit sent Him into the wilderness

⁃ He was in the wilderness for 40 days being tempted by satan

⁃ Jesus said “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

⁃ Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended Him

Note: The tempter came to Jesus and “said” after 40 days and 40 nights and when Jesus was hungry.

The Things satan Used to Tempt Jesus:

⁃ Food – Our Needs: Lust of the Body (Me, Me, Me & I)

⁃ Power – Jesus’ Own Power + Authority: Ego (Pride of Life)

⁃ Possessions – “I Will Give You”: Lust of the Eyes

⁃ he Provoked Jesus to Operate Independent From God – Questioning Jesus’ Identity (Matthew 4:6 NLT) – Prove Yourself

Independent:

: not requiring or relying on something else : not contingent

Jesus Combats the tempter:

⁃ With The Word of God

⁃ The WHOLE Truth – Quoting Scripture

⁃ Submission To The Will of God For His Life – Through His Obedience

⁃ Rebuking satan – Commanding him to “Away from me, Satan!”

Where You Can Find The Story:

⁃ Luke 4:1-14, Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:11-13

What I have learned throughout my journey, is that if I am not intentionally seeking God and the word for Who He is and not just what He can offer me, I can easily drift off into a place in the word and world that I have no business being. I must line the word of God up with my living, thinking, speaking, heart posture and allow it to test me. I must deny myself the pleasures of this life daily in order to pursue the will of the Father for me.

It is an intentional work. It is possible to be in the word or in prayer daily with the wrong intentions or the wrong heart posture. It matters that we are there to pursue Jesus and to be more like Him. It is important for us to be in prayer for more of the Holy Spirit, more wisdom and more understanding. For more selfless request and less selfish ones.

It is possible to only go to God wholeheartedly when we are in a bind or have a need (outside of just needing Him).

It is possible to completely ignore God and His correction or our pursuit of Him when everything is going well in our lives, or by making them well on our own strength.

It is possible to miss Jesus and His individual will for our lives by getting too caught up with all of the hustle and bustle that we allow to enter into our lives.

It is possible to get into a routine of spending time with God that we no longer even ask for ourselves what is needed to walk the Christian walk or are no longer on the look out for what we should be receiving from His word.

We can get to a place where we can hear and see and continue to do all the routine things of having a relationship with Jesus; but nothing on the inside of us changes anymore. We no longer recognize our desperate need for Jesus or that the fact of the matter is that there is nothing good about us. We are saved by the faith we’ve placed in Jesus Christ sacrifice, not of any works of our own. We were sinners in need of a Savior and that this is the real truth of our existence as Christ followers on this earth.

It is possible…

Hebrews 4:14 NLT

So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe.

My pursuit as a believer and the things I seek should be that of faith, hope and love. These are divine virtues. They come from our pursuit of God’s Kingdom and His righteousness.

Divine

di·vine | \ də-ˈvīn \

: of, relating to, or proceeding directly from God

Virtues

vir·tue | \ ˈvər-(ˌ)chü \

: conformity to a standard of right

: a particular moral excellence

: a commendable quality or trait

Matthew 6:33 NLT

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

You see, there is none righteous, not one. So if we find ourselves pursuing what this world has to offer us over the presence of God, we are pursuing what is counterfeit; what truly isn’t right, what truly isn’t good, what truly isn’t beautiful. Our minds can begin to call good evil and call evil good because we are constantly seeking the things God never intended for us to seek. The things we need aren’t to be desperately sought after, they are given to us when we prioritize our seeking and our life (and of course we must work). But if our eyes are stayed on the One who is righteous, the One who is Good, the One who is Beautiful, we will be able to distinguish between what is good and what is evil.

Luke 18:19 NLT

“Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “Only God is truly good.

The enemy won’t be able to trip us up or entice us by offering to us the things of this life (the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life). We won’t have a taste for what this world calls good because we have tasted and have seen that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8 NLT). We want the good gifts (Matthew 7:11 NLT) that our Father offers, we’ll want to be satisfied by Him. We will be content with the lives we have, lives that are in complete surrender to the Father’s will.

Romans 3:10 NLT

As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous— not even one.

1 John 2:17 NLT

And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.

1 John 2:16 NLT

For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.

Philippians 4:8 NLT

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

Hebrews 5:14 NLT

Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.

On our own, we are poor judges of what is right, we have to look to God to determine these things for us. Our dependency on God, His word and the presence of the Holy Spirit living on the inside of us, will show us what is right.

Relying and yielding to the instruction of God, in our circumstances is what will bring us the victory. The enemies whole motive in a nutshell was to get Jesus to operate independently of God, which also means that satan wanted Jesus to operate outside of the will of God for His life.

The enemy twisted as well as left out scripture in order to try to get Jesus to operate outside of the will of God for His life. A good sign to look for in ourselves and in others regarding using scripture incorrectly is to find out the focus of our use of the scripture. Does it lead back to what we want out of it or does it lead back to Jesus and what is true? Are we using the word of God to benefit us only? Satan used scripture to tempt Jesus to either exalt himself or to serve, worship or exalt an idol or tangible things. Our focal point when using and operating with scripture matters. Is the focus to honor, glorify and exalt the name of Jesus or is it for our own exaltation? Is it for us to get better through the application of the Word or do we just want to know scripture? Do we accept the tough pills to swallow of the Word or only the ones that make us feel powerful and worthy? Do we accept the correction of the Word as well as it’s encouragement? Because we should. We should be accepting the Word of God in it’s entirety, and not in pieces. Our lives should display the glory of God in all areas. We are to operate in line with the will of God for our lives and not just pick scriptures that exalt, puff us up or go along with what we want, to follow.

The more we know scripture, hear the word and apply it to our lives, the better we’ll be at not falling prey to the enemies temptings. The more of the Word that we have hidden in our hearts the more we can follow it and the more it will come up in our decision making.

2 Timothy 3:16 NLT

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.

What stood out to me in Luke’s account of Jesus’s time of temptation in the wilderness was that satan left Jesus until another “opportune time” presented itself.

The following scriptures describe the way satan lies in wait for a time to attack or tempt us:

1 Peter 5:8 NLT

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

Luke 22:31 NLT

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat.

This guy is bold, he actually ask God to attack you and I. This isn’t something to be worried about though:

Whatever you commit to God will be tested. The fact that the enemy is after you means that you are doing something right. God gave the enemy permission to try Job and in the same breath God called Job “His servant”. God knows who you are and He knows who the enemy is trying to attack or tempt:

Job 1:8 NLT

Then the LORD asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil.”

Romans 5:3-4 NLT

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.

We are to be holy as He is holy, and the way to this holiness is to walk down the path that God has forged out for each of us individually as well as collectively (as the body of Christ).

1 Peter 1:16-19 NLT

For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.” And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time here as “temporary residents.” For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.

We are to live as foreigners on this earth.

God paid the ultimate price in order to save us!

The Bible says that it is not Gods will for any man to perish (2 Peter 3:9 NLT) What this means is that He doesn’t will for anyone to to die, He wants us all to come to repentance, to live and to receive eternal life. We all were put on this earth on purpose and for purpose. The purpose that God has for each of us is different, and among not perishing we are to become His disciples. We are following after the example of Jesus Christ while we are here on this earth.

Matthew 28:19 NLT

Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 4:16 NLT

So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

Keep Reading…

Respect Is Simply Honor

Leave a comment

In my opinion the word respect is another word that gets treated with much resistance and is regarded among the body of Christ as well as the world, much like the word “submission” is. It is an icky word to most because we, as a people have lost that heart of God for the act of respect. It is also another one of my beliefs that as people of God, we often times conform to the worlds way of doing things or handling situations according to the way the world handles them without even knowing it.

I believe that  this happens naturally because culture can easily be incorporated into our Christian worldview and take precedence in certain areas. Rather than us, the born again believer, renewing our mind in all areas we simply pick and choose where we’d like to do this and ultimately what areas of our life we’d like to honor God in. The funny thing about mixing God’s way of doing things with the worlds way of doing things is that this can be done unconsciously, subconsciously and consciously. The important part to note of all of this is that, this morphing of beliefs really does happen and is something that we, as born again believers, can possibly see nothing wrong with, because we have simply failed to renew our minds.

The biblical definition of respect is:

Respect (n)

a high or special regard; esteem

(see also Awe, Reverence)

Respect, Respected (v) to consider worthy of high regard, to esteem

High: (adj)

rising or extending upward a great distance : taller than average, usual, or expected

situated or passing above the normal level, surface, base of measurement, or elevation

Worthy: (adj)

having worth or value : ESTIMABLE 

HONORABLE, MERITORIOUS

having sufficient worth or importance

Esteem: (n)

the regard in which one is heldespecially : high regard

Esteem: (v)

to set a high value on : regard highly and prize accordingly

Honor: (n)

a showing of usually merited respect

one whose worth brings respect or fame

Wow! I don’t know about you, but these definitions convict my open heart, and they’re supposed to. I think convictions have become something that is also despised rather than something that is celebrated and taken into consideration and used for the encouragement of the application of the word of God.

Romans 8:1 NLT

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.

We are no longer condemned, hallelujah! God has removed the pest of guilt from us so that we can freely accept our shortcomings and seek God as well as more of the presence of the Holy Spirit for our desired change.

To be honest, I believe that this is why we don’t heed conviction like we should anymore. We feel guilty about it because of our own self-condemnation, and because of this we avoid the conviction all together, which then makes it harder for us to change. God corrects those he loves. Conviction can be seen as correction and correction is a good thing.

Proverbs 3:12 NLT

For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.

Hebrews 12:6-8 NLT

For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.” As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all.

Just as correction is a good thing so is submission, and so is respect. We may have a distorted or perverted view of these words but I believe that now more than ever is a perfect time to change that. What does God say about respect? What is his heart towards the act of respect? These are questions we can ask ourselves and most importantly, ask God.

I wanted to share my personal experience with this word.

So sometimes when I am preparing Eli’s meals in a rush, I am tempted or attempt to serve him in a little plastic container. Almost instantly God convicts me and says to me: “Would you want someone to serve you a snack in that bowl?” “Stop being lazy, he has bowls for this specific purpose.” “Would you serve someone you respected or someone whose perception of you, you valued like that?” My answer to these questions will always be “No.” Even though I know God is going to ask me these questions I still think about serving him in the incorrect bowl sometimes. I want to say that this is the reason I take such pride in plating Eli’s food. I believe that the point God is trying to get across to me is that; the way I treat or respect Eli will be the way he’ll treat and respect others. Not only will this be the way Eli treats others it will also be the way he treats hisself as well as shape the treatment that he will accept and expect from others. I have a huge responsibility in shaping his providential relationships in the future because by default, I am his very first providential relationship. Can we see how, we as humans can be messed up because of the relationships we’ve had in our past, starting from childhood? Can we also see how important respect is to God? He requires that we cultivate a culture of honor among one another. If this is his heart towards Eli, can you imagine how he expects us to treat one another?

This is why it is so important for a believer to renew their mind with the word of God.

Romans 12:2

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Ephesians 5:26

to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.

The world views respect as something that is earned. Your position, title, name, hard work has earned respect, therefore I’ll respect you. These thoughts have found themselves among the body of Christ. I remember someone who was in a position over me telling me one time that respect is earned, they may of possibly used the wrong word but those words stuck with me and they weren’t necessarily biblical. Respect is given, favor is earned (Ref. Story of Cain and Abel, Genesis 4:1-16) and even this truth can be debatable in some areas because of the shed blood🩸of Jesus Christ. I would love to dabble more into favor being earned a little more in a future blog, but I’ll stop here for now in this one.

Here are some scriptures that reference respect in the Bible:

An example of showing respect for God –

Exodus 3:5-6 NLT

“Do not come any closer,” the Lord warned. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God.

An example of commanding respect –

Judges 4:9 NLT

“Very well,” she replied, “I will go with you. But you will receive no honor in this venture, for the Lord’s victory over Sisera will be at the hands of a woman.” So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh.

An example of David’s great respect for Saul –

1 Samuel 24: 5-6 NLT

But then David’s conscience began bothering him because he had cut Saul’s robe. He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this to my lord the king. I shouldn’t attack the Lord’s anointed one, for the Lord himself has chosen him.”

2 Samuel 1: 15 – 16 NLT

Then David said to one of his men, “Kill him!” So the man thrust his sword into the Amalekite and killed him. “You have condemned yourself,” David said, “for you yourself confessed that you killed the Lord’s anointed one.”

An example of respect for those in authority over us –

1 Samuel 24:5-6 NLT

But then David’s conscience began bothering him because he had cut Saul’s robe. He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this to my lord the king. I shouldn’t attack the Lord’s anointed one, for the Lord himself has chosen him.”

1 Chronicles 10:11-12 NLT

These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age. If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall.

An example of showing respect to all people equally –

1 Samuel 30: 11-15 NLT

Then the Lord said to Samuel, “I am sorry that I ever made Saul king, for he has not been loyal to me and has refused to obey my command.” Samuel was so deeply moved when he heard this that he cried out to the Lord all night. Early the next morning Samuel went to find Saul. Someone told him, “Saul went to the town of Carmel to set up a monument to himself; then he went on to Gilgal.” When Samuel finally found him, Saul greeted him cheerfully. “May the Lord bless you,” he said. “I have carried out the Lord’s command!” “Then what is all the bleating of sheep and goats and the lowing of cattle I hear?” Samuel demanded. “It’s true that the army spared the best of the sheep, goats, and cattle,” Saul admitted. “But they are going to sacrifice them to the Lord your God. We have destroyed everything else.”

Don’t confuse respectability with right living –

Luke 5:30-32 NLT

But the Pharisees and their teachers of religious law complained bitterly to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with such scum?” Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”

Read the life of Daniel as a study reference of the topic.

Places in the New Living Translation Version Bible that the word respect is mentioned:

(Proverbs 11:6 shows that there are levels to respect)

Proverbs 11:16 NLT

A gracious woman gains respect, but ruthless men gain only wealth.

Malachi 1:6 NLT

The Lord of Heaven’s Armies says to the priests: “A son honors his father, and a servant respects his master. If I am your father and master, where are the honor and respect I deserve? You have shown contempt for my name! “But you ask, ‘How have we ever shown contempt for your name?’

(I think it’s important to note that although an older man may not live this way (Titus 2:2), that this is not cause or grounds for us to be able to disrespect him. I pray that we grasp the heart of God through these scriptures and understand that disrespect in any form to another individual is not tolerated nor accepted by God. I’d also like to note that there is a difference between being offended and the act of disrespect which I can discuss in another blog.)

Titus 2:2 NLT

Teach the older men to exercise self-control, to be worthy of respect, and to live wisely. They must have sound faith and be filled with love and patience.

Ephesians 5:33 NLT

So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

1 Timothy 3:4 NLT

He must manage his own family well, having children who respect and obey him.

1 Timothy 3:8 NLT

In the same way, deacons must be well respected and have integrity. They must not be heavy drinkers or dishonest with money.

1 Timothy 3:11 NLT

In the same way, their wives must be respected and must not slander others. They must exercise self-control and be faithful in everything they do.

1 Timothy 5:17 NLT

Elders who do their work well should be respected and paid well, especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching.

1 Peter 2:17 NLT

Respect everyone, and love the family of believers. Fear God, and respect the king.

May the body of Christ get back to the heart of David. Gosh! You are an example if we ever did see one. My God! I honor that mans legacy, his name and his heart for God! May we possess these things as we all are now spiritually, by faith from his seed! God, my plea is that this same spirit that was in Jesus and his lineage will be in us also! Lord have Your way!

Can I also note that David, too was a man of imperfections and major failures, but he was also a man of great repentance.

Jeremiah 23:5-6 NLT

“For the time is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will raise up a righteous descendant from King David’s line. He will be a King who rules with wisdom. He will do what is just and right throughout the land. And this will be his name: ‘The Lord Is Our Righteousness.’ In that day Judah will be saved, and Israel will live in safety.

Everything we need, all of the guidance, all of the instruction and all of the wisdom is in the word of God. We just have to put in the work.

Keep reading…

VS.

Leave a comment

So last night I read a page from a Fancy Nancy story and it made me think about a prayer 🙏🏽 I prayed.

Before I tell this story I want to let you know that it is the job of believers to pray for people (in general) as well as to pray for one another (other believers)

James 5:16 NLT

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

Matthew 5:44 NLT

But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!

Ephesians 6:18 NLT

Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

True Story:

(Don’t judge me! 😆)

Stupid vs. Blind

I was upset with the actions of an individual and prayed that God would remove the spirit of stupid from them because the things they were doing were just that, STUPID! I had no other words regarding praying🧎‍♀️for them and could only pray these words about the situation. It sounds soo hilarious 🤣 to me now but I was so serious when I prayed these words. In my eyes 👀 I couldn’t see how the person could actually think that what they were doing was sensible, they just couldn’t.

When I pray sincerely and whole heartedly for an individual following the prayer God will always either give me peace in my heart about this individual or speak words/confessions of faith over their life to my heart that I then repeat as a declaration for them.

When I prayed this particular prayer God didn’t do this.

I left the situation alone for a while and one day while walking to the bus stop 🚏 with Eli, God put in my heart the words that I needed to pray for the person. He said that they are blind in this area, they don’t have experience, an example nor do they seek my instructions on how this is supposed to go. My heart was immediately softened towards that person and I was able to pray compassionately (even with tears)and sincerely for them regarding this. The peace of God came over my heart proceeding this prayer.

You see, these words in this story remind me of my prayer and it reminds me of so much more.

When you think about it Fancy Nancy didn’t like jellyfish because she had been stung by one before. She didn’t think to consider all of the things they did not have (a heart, eyes, bones, ears etc) as to why they would sting her. The jellyfish stung Fancy Nancy as a way to defend itself. When she realized that jellyfish just don’t know any better she was able to be more open to liking/accepting them.

The same concept goes for us. We as humans would quicker help a blind person than someone that we think is just irresponsible or unwise in an area. The reason behind this is pretty simple, we have more grace for the person that is blind than the one who is just, smh 🤦🏽‍♀️🙄. Isn’t this true? We don’t consider all the factors that may play a role in an individuals thinking (like their upbringing, history/past, level of maturity etc.). We’d rather completely ignore them than pray for them because they are just, 🤦🏽‍♀️🙄😤🤯! …👀

But God wants us to have compassion and give grace to everyone, including those that just don’t know any better!

Jesus is our go-to person when we want to refer to someone’s example on how we should respond regarding any topic.

Here’s how he responded during the time of his crucifixion (While under trial He was sentenced to a death by crucifixion which were both credited to the demands of a crowd):

Luke 23:26-34

The Crucifixion

As they led Jesus away, a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, happened to be coming in from the countryside. The soldiers seized him and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. A large crowd trailed behind, including many grief-stricken women. But Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, don’t weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For the days are coming when they will say, ‘Fortunate indeed are the women who are childless, the wombs that have not borne a child and the breasts that have never nursed.’ People will beg the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and plead with the hills, ‘Bury us.’ For if these things are done when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?” Two others, both criminals, were led out to be executed with him. When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left.

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.

Here Are A Few Things to Note:

Some of our prayers may not be answered by God because of our heart posture towards the situation or person involved.

Prayers 🙏🏽 should be prayed with sincerity and compassion for others.

The truth is that we are all blind in one area or another, and we are all in need of prayer in order to change these areas.

2 Corinthians 4:4 NLT

Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.

Trials

Leave a comment

The Bible teaches us to guard our hearts because everything we do flows from it (NIV Version).

Proverbs 4:23 NLT

Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

I wanted to start out by listing a few emotions that can arise when facing hard times. These emotions can feel and be very real but are also emotions that we MUST guard our hearts from. 

HARDS TIMES MAY LEAVE YOU WITH THE FEELING OF :

REJECTION – While experiencing the feeling of rejection we may handle this rejection the wrong way. There are also times where we think we are being rejected when in reality we are not. Thoughts like, you are and will always be a person that others reject, that there is something wrong with you, that you are the reason you are going through this hard time are all thoughts that can be a possibility when faced with life’s trials.

Here’s what the Bible says about trials:

John 16:33 NLT

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.

SELF-PITY – Self-pity can occur when we begin feeling sorry for ourselves, so much so that we reach a point of not being able to move past what we are facing. 

HURT – When facing a trial we can feel hurt by things that wouldn’t normally bother or hurt us.

JEALOUSY – When going through trials the feeling of jealousy towards those that currently have the breakthrough you are believing for can occur.

ANGER – At times this feeling arises because of the length of time you’ve been going through your trial, or because of the reason behind the trial itself. 

FRUSTRATION – You may feel frustrated because your present trial is not what you planned for and it has thrown you for a loop. 

FEELING LOST – Everything can be going smoothly and as soon as difficulty hits, you may feel like you were left to face that difficulty without direction. 

Overall, it is my belief that emotions (good and bad) are heightened due to a trial or the trials we face. It is ok to have these feelings but what is not ok is for us to act, speak or be driven by them. The best way to avoid these feelings is to guard our hearts from them all together. Most of the time this is not the case and we must seek guidance and help to rid ourselves from them. 

The Bible teaches on a few things we should meditate and focus on: 

Philippians 4:8 NLT

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

I HAVE LEARNED THAT :

The things you do or what you surround yourself with can either bring you down in the presence of difficulty or help you out of that difficulty. When we are faced with hard times the right thing to do and the right surroundings can easily be confused with the wrong. Here’s a few things I’ve come to learn to AVOID, BE MINDFUL OF and ways I begin to POUR INTO MYSELF when faced with trials. 

AVOID

Specific Settings & People 

Type of People: 

  • People that don’t think the best of you.
  • Those that don’t want the best for you.
  • Those that try to provoke the wrong emotions out of you.
  • Those that try to bring you down.
  • Those that have the wrong perception of you.

I know that it’s just natural (Genesis 3:9-13) for us not to want anyone to think bad of us and for some of us, we will try really hard to get others to think good things about us, no matter the cost.

Frankly, in the moment of your difficulty or trial, finding the time or energy to try to prove them wrong will exhaust you. The hard time you are facing at the moment can be a make or break situation and being around those that are convinced about viewing you the wrong way can break you and your confidence to get through that hard time. 

Please Note: 

I don’t mean people that KNOW you, like really know you and challenge you to be a better you. This is a different group of people all together, this is a person that I would refer to as iron in our life. 

Proverbs 9:8 NLT

So don’t bother correcting mockers; they will only hate you. But correct the wise, and they will love you.

Who I am referring to are those that you know don’t have your best interest at heart, or those that think they know the details of your life but couldn’t be more wrong or those that judge you based off of their assumptions of you, and those that won’t defend you or represent you well when a conversation is brought up about you. 

Type of Setting:

1 Corinthians 15:33 NLT

Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.”

Don’t feel bad about excusing yourself from a group setting that you know is just not helpful for you to be apart of at the present moment.

  • Go to the bathroom (Bathroom Breaks are great if you are at a place you can’t leave, go there to regroup your thoughts, pray, count to 10 and wash your face if needed.)
  • If you can leave a place that is not helpful for you and the direction you are going, leave. (don’t feel obligated to make an appearance) 
  • Be wise about the invitations you say “yes” to. Places that lead you to do the wrong thing, make you doubt the plan of God for your life, or bring you down are not where you should be at the moment. Say “NO” to the invitation. 

BE MINDFUL

Be Mindful of What You Are Taking In

Proverbs 23:7 NKJV

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he…

  • If you’re upset don’t listen to music that makes you more upset. If you are angry don’t listen to music that makes you more angry. 
  • Don’t watch things that you are sure will provoke the wrong emotions in you. If you are an emotional wreck at the moment you don’t want to watch a movie that makes you even more of this.
  • Read, watch and listen to the things that encourage you to have a greater mindset or things that help you renew your mind and thoughts all together. 
  • For Example: I am constantly listening to books that encourage me in the Word of God. When a scripture comes to mind I look it up right away and let that speak to me/my heart instead of what will feed the wrong emotions and thoughts in me. 
  • Listen to sermons.
  • Listen to music that encourages you to do the right thing.
  • Watch movies that are encouraging Ex. Documentary on someone’s life that went from bad to good.
  • You want to “take in” what makes you hopeful!
  • Not negativity, not judgement, not the side eye, not the “welp, do you!” mentality
  • Be mindful of a “DO YOU!” mentality. A “DO YOU!” mentality should probably be avoided when facing trials are when experiencing heightened emotions. The reason I say this is that we’ll be “doing us” from places like self-pity, hurt, jealousy, anger and feeling lost. Rather than doing the things we are SURE we need to be doing in order to GROW through our trial.

  POUR INTO 

Pour Into Yourself

  • Ways that we can pour into ourselves is by being 100% honest with ourself about where we are and what we are facing. 
  • Assessing your own thoughts is another way to help you gain a balanced mindset towards what you are facing as well as how you can move past it. 

1 Peter 5:8-14 ESV

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Your trials won’t last forever!

  • Give yourself HOPE by reminding yourself of the things you have to be hopeful about. Your future is bright regardless of the things you are facing at the moment.

Genesis 1:31 NLT

Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!

Jeremiah 29:11 NLT

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

2 Peter 3:9 NLT

The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.

  • Remind yourself about the truth about you! It is true no matter what you are facing! (what God says, the promises He’s made to you, how far you’ve come etc.) 

Genesis 1:26 NLT

Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”

  • Take time to regain your focus, the renewed mindset, goals, who you are, things you need to do to get where you are going.

Romans 12:2 NLT

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

  • Be around those that lift you up, encourage you and challenge you to be the best version of you that you can be. Iron sharpens iron – People that believe and practice the same faith as you. Same world views etc.

Proverbs 27:17 NLT

As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.

Proverbs 18:24 NLT

There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.

  • Take advice from those you’d be happy to trade lives with. Those that are excelling the right way in the areas you’d like to excel in. 
  • Don’t be afraid to ask for help, from the right sources, of course. Call out to God for help, wisdom and guidance. 

Psalm 20:1

In times of trouble, may the Lord answer your cry. May the name of the God of Jacob keep you safe from all harm.

  • As you are lead ask people that have been through what you are going through and have come out better because or in-spite of it. Find those that can mentor you into the best version of you and don’t forget to be a person who is teachable. Seek advice from someone that knows more than you in the area of your trial and that is successful in it (according to the standards you live by). Above all else consult God before doing and saying anything when faced with trials.

Proverbs 16:9 NLT

We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps

Many times we look at the trials we face as something meant to end us. We look at them like they were sent to destroy every part of us. It is my belief that our trials are meant to get rid of the things in us that stop our progression. I also believe that they are meant to help us mature in our faith and in life, in general.

Romans 5:3-5 NLT

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

Ultimately I believe that we are meant to grow through the trials we face and develop the things needed in order to face them each time they arise.