The Christian life is a life of victory but all victories come through battles.
God has a purpose in battles and Satan has a purpose in battles.
God is not the author of battles and God is not the author of adversity.
But God will not necessarily yank you out of every battle either and relieve the pressure, but rather so He can bring us out of the battle victorious and stronger than ever before.
The life of faith in God’s Word has never been designed or purposed to exempt you from adversity, but rather to teach you how to go through adversity and come out on the other side victorious.
As long as we are in this curse-filled world, we will have battles and times of adversity.
Not every Christian comes out of adversity victorious because not every Christian knows what to do in adversity and not every Christian knows what the Word of God has to say and unfortunately, they don’t come out victorious.
How do we grow in our walk with the Lord?
1 Peter 2:2 NKJV as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,
1 Peter 2:2 TPT In the same way that nursing infants cry for milk, you must intensely crave the pure spiritual milk of God’s Word. For this “milk” will cause you to grow into maturity, fully nourished and strong for life—
James 1:21-22 TPT So this is why we abandon everything morally impure and all forms of wicked conduct. Instead, with a sensitive spirit we absorb God’s Word, which has been implanted within our nature, for the Word of Life has power to continually deliver us. (22) Don’t just listen to the Word of Truth and not respond to it, for that is the essence of self-deception. So always let his Word become like poetry written and fulfilled by your life!
We grow by feeding on the Word of God and by applying it to our lives.
Some have the misbelief that we grow as we experience negative circumstances in our lives.
We grow BY the Word of God. We grow THROUGH circumstances not BY circumstances.
By (DICTIONARY) – identifying the agent performing an action.
Through (DICTIONARY) – moving in one side and out of the other side of (an opening, channel, or location); So as to continue in time toward the completion of a process, period, etc.
In other words, we develop endurance and patience as we go through trials but our faith does not grow as a result of trials.
Circumstances are simply the stage that is set before us to give us opportunities to grow through them.
Example: You cannot say you grow stronger because of weights. You grow stronger as you resist and exert energy against those weights. I can walk in the gym and have weights all around me, but it is not until I exert resistance against those weights that I will grow stronger.
Owning a Bible does not make you spiritually mature. You must get the Word off the page and into your heart and then begin applying it to your life and resisting the circumstances.
Circumstances don’t make you stronger; it is standing on the Word of God against those circumstances that make you stronger.
You hear some people say, “Trials make you stronger.” No, if this was the case then every Christian would by Supermen in Jesus because they are so strong.
Some Christians are devastated through circumstances and others grow through them.
Circumstances are simply an opportunity to use the Word of God and the weapons that God has given us to overcome.
James 1:2-4 TPT My fellow believers, when it seems as though you are facing nothing but difficulties see it as an invaluable opportunity to experience the greatest joy that you can! (3) For you know that when your faith is tested it stirs up power within you to endure all things. (4) And then as your endurance grows even stronger it will release perfection into every part of your being until there is nothing missing and nothing lacking.
When you come through adversity and you have stood on the Word of God, you come out on the other side more mature than when you went in the adversity.
Three things that can happen to you in adversity:
- You get hardened by adversity.
- You can be overwhelmed and crushed by adversity.
- You can stand on God’s Word and grow through the adversity.
1 Peter 1:5-7 NLT And through your faith, God is protecting you by His power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. (6) So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. (7) These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold–though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
The power of God is present to help and protect you, but it happens by faith. Your faith is what activates the power of God.
We greatly rejoice in these times of adversity.
God’s purpose and design is that if we lift up praise and rejoicing during times of adversity, it causes those times to become precious because they are purifying your faith and causing it to become more and more pure.
The trial did not make you stronger. It is the faith you use that causes you to become stronger.
We can come out of the trial or adversity more pure than when we went into the trial.
We tend to be focused on the answer only, but God is also interested in the process that gets you to the answer because that is where character and maturity come from.
Instead of asking yourself, “What am I going to face today, ask yourself, how am I going to grow today.”
We should grow through circumstances. In other words, we can grow through every circumstance whether they are good or bad. When the devil brings bad circumstances into your life, let God turn them around for your good and not only enable you to overcome but grow in the process.
Romans 5:1-4 NKJV Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, (2) through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. (3) And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; (4) and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
Romans 5:1-5 AMPC THEREFORE, SINCE we are justified (acquitted, declared righteous, and given a right standing with God) through faith, let us [grasp the fact that we] have [the peace of reconciliation to hold and to enjoy] peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). (2) Through Him also we have [our] access (entrance, introduction) by faith into this grace (state of God’s favor) in which we [firmly and safely] stand. And let us rejoice and exult in our hope of experiencing and enjoying the glory of God. (3) Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance. (4) And endurance (fortitude) develops maturity of character (approved faith and tried integrity). And character [of this sort] produces [the habit of] joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation. (5) Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us.
Deuteronomy 8:3 NKJV (3) So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.
Notice that God allowed them to hunger, and He fed them but He wanted them to get the truth that food is not the answer, He is.
Whether I have money or I don’t have money, I must come to the realization that money is not the answer. The Word of God is the answer and can meet every circumstance.
In other words, during those times of adversity we come to the point where the Word of God becomes more precious to us than simply having the need met at that moment. Money comes and money goes but the Word lasts forever.
Money can never bring me the Word of God but the Word of God can always bring me money. Money can never bring me closer to God but getting closer to God can bring money into my life.
Coming through adversity should give you and me a greater appreciation for the Word of God during those times.
When you come through adversity and you have stood on the Word of God, you come out on the other side more mature than when you went in the adversity.
How are we not to handle tests and trials?
Hebrews 3:7-19 NKJV Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: “TODAY, IF YOU WILL HEAR HIS VOICE, (8) DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS AS IN THE REBELLION, IN THE DAY OF TRIAL IN THE WILDERNESS, (9) WHERE YOUR FATHERS TESTED ME, TRIED ME, AND SAW MY WORKS FORTY YEARS. (10) THEREFORE I WAS ANGRY WITH THAT GENERATION, AND SAID, ‘THEY ALWAYS GO ASTRAY IN THEIR HEART, AND THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN MY WAYS.’ (11) SO I SWORE IN MY WRATH, ‘THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.’ ” (12) Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; (13) but exhort one another daily, while it is called “TODAY,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. (14) For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, (15) while it is said: “TODAY, IF YOU WILL HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS AS IN THE REBELLION.” (16) For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? (17) Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? (18) And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? (19) So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
Provocation (Rebellion) – marabah – grumble and gripe
- God delivered them from too much water at the Red Sea
- God delivered them from Mara which was bitter water.
- God delivered them from Merabah where there was no water.
The next generation showed up at the same place and did the same thing the first generation did. In other words, if you don’t overcome the adversity, you will face it again. You can never get away from tests and trials but as you grow the adversities grow as well.
With increased blessings come increased trials. With increased trials comes increased strength. With increased strength comes increased blessings…
Four wrong ways to handle adversity:
- We become calloused to tests and trials and hardened towards them and God’s help.
- Complaining – is a sure guarantee that you will face it again. (dross that needs to be removed)
- Criticism – are critical of others, shifting blame (Examine yourself)
- Apathetic – don’t see any profit coming out of it.
If necessary, repent of sin. You will know if you have done something wrong and this is contributing to the adversity.
Here is the key, remember what the Lord did for you when He brought you out the first time.
Remember that most of the time, adversity comes when are we doing something right and not necessarily something wrong.
Don’t give up and quit! The storm will pass… they all do!