3 Simple Practices to Help You Overcome Hardships & Stay Connected to Christ
Summer Neal
By: Joe Patterson
Edited by: Summer Neal
Now that you have chosen to give your life to the Lord, you are going to live life differently. You will face things in a different way and learn how to deal with them in a way that you never knew you were capable of.
Remember when you were a little child, and you were in your room at night? Nights when you were afraid of the dark or a noise outside? What did you do? You called for your mother or your father, right? Maybe you ran to their room and jumped into bed with them.
Didn’t it make everything better? Did it make you feel safe?
In Proverbs 18:10 we are told, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and are safe.”
1. Call on Jesus
You and I are children of God, so when we feel scared or get into a situation we are unsure of, we should call on Jesus. He is our strong tower.
Anytime you face a trial, the first thing you should do is turn to Jesus. Think of all that he has done for YOU and all that HE can do to help you now.
It’s important to remember to live life looking forward, yet sometimes we tend to better understand life by looking back.
Look back through your life. Think about some of the trials or problems you’ve faced. They may have felt huge, impossible even. Now, you can see them as they really are. PAST. Past trials, past problems.
You made it through your past with Jesus by calling on his name.
Think about it, before you knew the Lord and were filled with the Holy Ghost, you felt as if you had to face all your problems on your own. You didn’t know what it was like to be able to turn to Jesus in prayer. To talk to Him and know that He is listening or that He is someone to help you and give you peace.
Jesus is there when you need him most.
Satan is always going to cause you trouble. He is never going to give up.
If Satan can get you to think wrong, he can get you to do wrong.
Everything starts with a thought. Satan will try to get you to question if God was really helping you or if you did it all by yourself. NOW is the time to remind Satan about the word of God.
Psalms 46:1 says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
“Think of God as your friend.”
Now help.
Help. Right. Now.
“Now” is where you are.
Think of God as your friend. It’s okay to just have a conversation with God. He cares for you.
Wouldn’t you love to know what was going to happen to you everyday? What to watch for and how to prepare for it? Well, you don’t have to know because God knows.
2. Ask for forgiveness.
David’s life was full of ups and downs. He was chosen by God to be king, but he still had his share of mistakes. Yet he was called, “a man after his own heart.” (Acts 13:22)
Why? Because David knew how to repent. He knew how to turn to God and say, “I’m sorry”.
Remember that the sins David committed were done after God delivered him from the bear, the lion and the giant.After he knew who God was and what God could do.
David marveled at God in Psalms 8: 4-6.
“What is man that thou art mindful of him? and the son of the man that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet.”
God knows how weak man is and how easy he is to get discouraged. Just as God gave David the power to keep going, He will do the same for us.
It is amazing to think of just how much God loves us.
Through the name of Jesus we have the power to face and overcome any trial or problem that comes against us. Don’t ever feel like you can’t overcome what comes against you.
When you get stuck in a trial or stunned by a problem, don’t allow Satan to tell you that you are a failure. Look at it as an opportunity to try again with more determination. Remember, you are not the only one who makes mistakes. God uses imperfect people, because there isn’t any other kind or person.
Always guard against things that attack your mind. You cannot un-ring a bell nor can you un-think a thought.
3. Don’t give up!
Sometimes we beat ourselves up over a mistake we may have done years ago. When Satan sees us dwelling on it, he will capitalize on it. Do not give him any ammunition to harm you.
Never be ashamed to come to the altar. The altar is not a place of disgrace, it is a place of added grace. It is where we go to be renewed.
If you don’t bump into the devil every now and then, you may be going in the same direction.
People say that you “learn as you go”, “life’s the best teacher”, “you learn by experience”. Let’s look at our lives from birth to now.
When we were toddlers learning to stand, that was a big deal. Our parents clapped their hands and said “yay”. We got so happy and even though we fell a few times, we knew that we could do it again, so we just kept trying. Eventually, standing up got easy.
That’s how it is when we are saved. We start by standing on faith. Then we stand on our ever-growing knowledge of God and His Word. It is our firm foundation. We cannot stand on our past or our own ability to overcome.
As a child, we would sometimes fall even while trying to hold on but our parents didn’t just throw us away. Likewise, our Heavenly Father is going to be patient with us.
Don’t give up! Keep trying!
As we grew from a child to a teenager, we learned so much.
· Don’t take what doesn’t belong to you.
· Don’t hit.
· Don’t be mean to other children.
· Always try to do your best.
· The list goes on and on.
You are going to learn as you grow in your relationship with the Lord.
You will learn what is right and wrong according to God’s standard. Sometimes there will be things you shouldn’t do but you do them anyway. Let the Holy spirit inside you be your conscience. And always endeavor to have your actions line up with God’s Word.
As you get older and have been living for the Lord a while, that doesn’t mean that you won’t still make mistakes. Keep living for the Lord. Keep moving forward.
Okay, now you’re in your teens and old enough to drive. There’s a whole new world of do’s and don’t’s.
· Wear your seat belt.
· Keep your eyes on the road.
· Don’t speed.
· Watch the car in front of you.
· Watch for break lights, stop signs, and red lights.
· Be extra careful when driving at night or in the rain.
· Don’t forget to dim your bright lights when another car is coming.
· Watch your gas hand so that you don’t run out of gas.
That’s a lot of stuff to remember, right? And you couldn’t have managed all of that as a toddler.
While you are living for God be sure of yourself and be careful as you continue moving forward.
Stay focused and watch your pathway.
Don’t be in a hurry. God’s time is not our time. Don’t get ahead of God.
“Don’t be in a hurry. God’s time is not our time. Don’t get ahead of God.”
Watch for warning signs. Spiritual stop signs are God’s way of telling you to stand still and regroup. Spiritual red lights are God’s way of stopping you from making a mistake and possibly getting hit or killed spiritually.
Have you ever had to stop at a stop sign or a red light and just a little further down the road there has been a wreck? Had you not stopped, you could have been in that wreck.
When you are driving in a spiritual storm, keep your hands steady and your eyes focused on the road ahead of you.
We want to help you! We are the family of God, brothers and sisters in Christ.
Your Faith Family is here for you. We will help you and pray with you. We will share our testimonies with you to help you overcome your own trials.
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