Tag:

Overcoming Trials

7 Things to Remember When You Face a Storm

by Chandi Perera May 24, 2023

written by Chandi Perera

We will all face a storm at some point in our lives, however Christians know who to turn to. As we keep our eyes on Jesus, we can rely on Him.

Stormy seas in life, are inevitable for all people. As the Bible says John 16:33, “In this world we shall have tribulation”. It is non-negotiable and cannot be side stepped; but for the Christian, the verse follows through to say “but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Furthermore, James 1:2-4 says: “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

Counting it all joy may sound absurd for those who critically analyze what James is saying. It doesn’t fit with the natural mind. However the Word of God operates at a much higher level. Navigating the rough seas of a personal trial, I took time to ponder on this verse and the following seven points surfaced which I would like to share with you.

7 things to remember when you’re in a storm

Embrace the One who can calm the storm. In a moment of deep distress we have two choices. We can weather the storm by facing the One who is able to calm it, or we can focus our eyes on the storm and drown in it. Choose to count it all joy and keep your eyes on Jesus.
Jesus is very good at showing up in the middle of our storm. It is what He does. If we take time to focus our eyes on Him, He comes to us. There is no cajoling, pleading, supplicating for Him to come. That is what He is best at doing. Coming to us, in the storm. He sees us surrounded by raging waves and He knows we cannot navigate it on our own an He keeps His Word: “I will not leave you nor forsake you”. He comes!
Don’t rely on your human strategies, expertise or spirituality. It is Jesus Who calms the storm. As Psalm 107:29 “He calms the storm, so that its waves are still.” The waves know who to obey. Trust Him.
When we focus on Him, in the storm, we drop the unnecessary. In a storm, we no longer need to wear a mask, our wings are clipped and our ability to move forward is curtailed. We are surrounded by a storm. When we keep on gazing up at His face and meeting Him in the eye, when we keep our eyes on Jesus, we know what baggage we need to drop and what tools we need to pick up. He lightens us and equips us – when we look Him in the eye, in the storm.
Storms are an ideal time to develop faith and hope – Romans 5:3-5. Waiting, watching and trusting for Him to come through for us in the storm, builds perseverance, a patience, a yielding and a submitting. At the end of it all, our hope is not differed, because – HE will surely come!
Nothing can separate us from God’s love. As Romans 8:38-39 says, nothing, absolutely nothing can separate us from the love of God and He is no man that He should lie. He comes because He supremely loves you and I. He loved us, way before we ever came to know Him. He will not allow His beloved to drown in a storm, surely! So, He comes.
God will use the storm to establish and prove you. When He commands the waves to be still and calms the storm God establishes and proves us, because after all, we are His workmanship created for good works, long before we were born. He will come so that we can continue the good works He has ordained for us.

With these seven things in mind, I choose to keep my eyes on Jesus and not at the waves that rage around me. Will you?

May 24, 2023 0 comments

Trials Don’t Come To Better You

by GOD TV August 19, 2022

written by GOD TV

I’m Joseph Z, and I want to say something to you, very shocking, and it’s very important. Trials do not come to better you. As a matter of fact, trials come to your life, not to better you, but to kill you, okay? And that is not the will of God. And let me show you the real reason trials come. To kill you by a certain means.

Let me show you. Mark chapter 4, please look at your Bible if you have it or just listen. Mark chapter 4, it begins to talk about the parable of the sower explained. Now Jesus is talking and He begins to explain what took place in this parable. In Mark chapter 4:17, He’s talking about how certain seed fell on certain soil, but pay close attention to this verse, 17. It said, “And they who have no root in themselves and so endure only for a time afterward when tribulation,” there it is, trials, tribulation, “or persecution arises for the word’s sake immediately they stumble.” Hear what I’m saying. Listen carefully. Did you notice something in that verse? It said, “tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake.” The seed sown is the word. The soil in this parable is the heart. Let me say it again. “Persecution and tribulation arises for the word’s sake.”

In other words, the kingdom of darkness, the devil, you get the word of God in your heart, and the word of God alone can not be defeated by the devil, but it’s the word planted in the heart mixed with faith that the devil’s after. He knows he can’t harm the word, but he can harm you if your heart’s not ready. In other words, he brings pressure externally to do what? Through tribulation and persecution to rip that word out of your heart. Meaning, if God put a promise in your heart, a promise of not only salvation, but of healing, deliverance, breakthrough, prosperity, whatever God has, a sense of destiny that the word of God spoke to you. The devil will come and attack you to rip that out of your heart before it takes strong root.

Let me give you an example of my life. Years ago, my wife and I were planting churches, building ministry. We were really succeeding when suddenly, as she was preaching on a stage, she had double kidney failure, out of almost nowhere, double kidney failure. We found out it was hereditary and that put us on a five year trajectory of pain and endurance to stand against this attack. What had happened was, is the devil came against us because we were doing such an effective ministry. And now she ended up in dialysis for three of those years. It was a very terrible time. And the way her body responded to the treatments and dialysis was causing her to lose her life rapidly, and she was a hopeless case. No chance of a kidney transplant, nothing of the sort until one day a miracle happened where someone was a match. It was a million to one shot. It began to work. She received a kidney. But along the way, she had things like blood clots in her neck, it was going to go to her brain and we prayed over her. She received prayer and the Lord Jesus Christ healed her miraculously and stopped that from killing my wife.

Now, during that process, if I would have said, “Oh, this trial and tribulation is coming to better me,” well, my wife would not be here today, because her and I both fundamentally knew this was an attack against the word of God, trying to get us to stop what God had called us to do.

And many people stumble right there. I believe today, more than ever, it was because we pushed back and we fought in faith, that she came through that trial and that tribulation. Now a lot of people would say, “Well, I went through something and I learned something. It made me better.” Yes and amen. You can learn something from anything, but that doesn’t mean God did it. God didn’t do it. God doesn’t send trials and tribulations to try to rip your life apart to make you better. God is the answer. He’s not the one doing it.

Trials and tribulations come to kill you and steal the word of God from your heart. Resist it. Submit yourself to God and resist it. James says, “Submit to God, resist the devil.” And what’s his occupation? What is his M.O? To steal, kill and destroy. So you know what you do when something comes to steal, kill and destroy? Resist it and realize it’s trying to steal the word of God from your life. I’ll tell you what, you can do this, you can do this. God is with you. Maybe you might be going through the hardest time of your life. You might be facing financial difficulties, physical challenges, sickness, ailments, but I’m here to tell you today, you can resist it. Jesus loves you. He wants you to win even more than you do. Man, that’s good news. God loves you, and there’s nothing you can do about it. Man, that’s good news today. Jesus is Lord.

I’m Joseph Z and I encourage you, whatever is facing you today, resist it in faith. It’s not from God. God wants you to win, but He wants you to do it through His word, and you will come through if you don’t shrink back. Stay in there, keep going. God’s got you. I hope this blessed you today. I look forward to seeing you again very soon.

________

Perseverance

by GOD TV April 8, 2022

written by GOD TV

I want to encourage you today out of James 1:2, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” The Bible says that we can be mature and complete, not lacking anything. I mean, that’s the closest thing to perfection, which is just leading to Him and letting whatever is going on right now in your life that may be testing you. Let it form the fruit that it wants to form, right?

So you’re like a tree right now, and you’re getting rooted and you’re waiting, and you’re about to push through the ground to become this beautiful tree. So you’re mostly like a seed right now. You’re about to push the ground to become the tree. But the pushing part, right? You’re like, why am I pushing? And it says right here that, don’t worry, get excited if you’re facing trials, that’s exciting. This seed is now becoming a tree. It just doesn’t feel like it or look like it right now. But it says, if you let it “finish its work”, verse four, if you “let it finish its work, that you may be mature and complete.” So you want to be mature, you want to be complete, you want to be in full bloom? Let it do its work. It’s coming.

So I want to pray for you for that to happen for you. God, I pray for my friend. I pray that my friend feels this when they’re going through a really hard time when they don’t understand why it’s taking so long, when they don’t understand why the push is so hard. When they don’t think you’re there anymore, they think you walked away. Remind them that the testing of their faith produces perseverance, which is an amazing, beautiful fruit to have in the rest of their life. I pray this over them in Jesus’ Mighty Name, encourage them and fill them with love. Amen.

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Understanding The 6 Seasons Of Tests And Temptations

by Joseph Mattera March 13, 2021

written by Joseph Mattera

I have been a committed Christ-follower since 1978, and I have experienced many tests, trials, and temptations. The following are the six seasons for tests and temptations that I have observed during my Christian walk.

1. Tests come before a great assignment.

I have found that right before God wants to do something great, either in an event or in my life and ministry, there is an extraordinary amount of resistance against me. At the beginning of my Christian journey, this was confusing, but as I matured, I realized if I did not get opposition from the enemy, it was a sign that I was probably missing God. Hence, when there is great spiritual warfare, I have confidence that God is ready to do something big! This gives me the endurance and patience I need to continue, despite any intense difficulty.

2. Tests come right after a completed assignment.

Through the years, I have discovered that Satan attacks right after great achievements or victories because he desperately desires to prevent our forward motion. Often, after experiencing a significant success, we are not on guard. This is usually the time we are most vulnerable to attacks from the enemy. This is similar to what happened after the prophet Elijah reached his highest peak in ministry. When Elijah called down fire from heaven, proving to Israel that Jehovah was the true God over Baal, the wicked Queen Jezebel threatened his life. This caused him extreme discouragement to the point of wanting to end his life (I Kings 18-19). We also read in the gospels that after Jesus had a great glimpse of the glory of His father, on the Mount of Transfiguration, a strong case of demonic oppression was manifested. It was so strong that even His disciples couldn’t deal with it or cast it out (Matthew 17:1-20).

I have learned the hard way that after every personal breakthrough or victory, I have to be on high alert so that I’m not blindsided by an attack.

3. Tests come in between a prophetic word and its fulfillment.

One of the most significant tests I have experienced is waiting for a prophetic word to be fulfilled. Often, it’s difficult to discern the timing of a prophetic word. As a result, many assume that a prophetic word will be fulfilled soon after they receive it. My experience has shown me otherwise! Sometimes I have had to wait years before words spoken to my heart by God were ever fulfilled. Some words spoken decades ago have still not come to pass. This is a great test of faith.

Abraham experienced a similar test when God told him he would have a son, and he had to wait several decades before Isaac was born (Genesis 12-21). Not only that, but after Isaac was born, God tested Abraham’s obedience by telling him to sacrifice his son on the altar (Genesis 22). In light of this, after we receive a word from the Lord, we need to ponder it in our heart as Mary did concerning Jesus (Luke 2:19). We have to discern both the timing and interpretation of it and rest in the Lord until it comes to pass. We need to continue in well-doing and not faint because, in due season, we will reap our reward (Galatians 6:9). This is perhaps the hardest of all the tests.

4. Temptation comes when you are at your weakest point.

In studying the Gospels, we learn that the devil came to tempt Jesus after He fasted for forty days (Luke 4). After Jesus overcame all of the temptations, the Bible says that the devil left Jesus alone until a more opportune time came (Luke 4:13). I have learned that the devil doesn’t have mercy upon believers when they are weak, tired, discouraged, angry, bitter, offended, sick, or burned out. Instead, that’s when he assaults us the most. We must never think that the devil feels sorry for us or will have mercy upon us when we are struggling. This is why we have to have covenant relationships with mature Christians who will come around us when we are weak. We need brothers and sisters in Christ who can help pray us through in our weakest moments. Along these lines, I have also learned never to make major decisions or communicate sensitive information to others when I am weary, tired, discouraged, or angry. When one is in a weak emotional position, it’s difficult to discern God’s will.

5. Temptation comes when you are bored.

2 Samuel 11 illustrates how King David fell into adultery and murder when he was idle. He stayed home while the other kings went to battle. Often, because people do not have a strong sense of purpose, they get bored. As a result, they may get involved in adulterous relationships because they yearn for excitement and stimulation. I have found that the only thing that saves me during mundane times, is my deep intimacy with the Lord. As long as my primary motivation for living comes from seeking and knowing God (and not from ministry), then, when I experience mundane times, I use that time to seek and study the ways of God (which further prepares me for the next big thing I will face).

6. Temptation comes when you lose your primary focus.

Along with the last point, temptation comes when we allow distractions to keep us away from the main things we are called to focus on in life.

Besides our walk with the Lord and our commitment to family and church, we all have a primary assignment we should focus on. One of the greatest temptations I have faced in life is not necessarily a sinful temptation, but being presented with many good opportunities that are not from God. Accepting these can wear us out and keep us from maximizing our time and focus on our primary assignments. The enemy of God’s best is often disguised in the form of good opportunities. We have to continually focus so we can keep “the main thing the main thing.”

Finally, I thank God that He always provides a way of escape from temptations. He is always with us during our fiery trials and tests (1 Corinthians 10:13, Isaiah 43:2-3).

March 13, 2021 0 comments

Articles

Endurance Is An Ability We Can All Strengthen

by Corine Channell March 19, 2020

written by Corine Channell

Pain is such a great teacher, while all at the same time being that teacher you hate. Too strong of a word? Not really. Who likes pain, even a little bit? Not me. I hate it. BUT it teaches me my most precious life lessons. I want to talk less about the actual pain itself, and more about the endurance we must find to get through it.

Endurance

Paul tells us to be content no matter what we are experiencing. Sounds easy until the pain has come to strangle the life out of you. Contentment in pain? Is that a real thing? Can I be content while my soul or body is still writhing in pain? Surprisingly, yes. It is a heart issue. No one can do it for you and maybe not even WITH you. It seems to be one of those solo journeys. “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10) The stillness is the key. To learn to be still in the midst of unchanging pain keeps the pain at bay. Being still is contentment and endurance wrapped in a choice. And it is a hard life lesson to just choose to BE.

God always uses everyday normal human experiences to shine forth spiritual truths. I had some pain from illness recently that was unrelenting. It would literally take my breath away and make me feel like I was going to blow apart. Funny, but I finally thought I should resort to those Lamaze breathing exercises I used to do during childbirth. I thought – hey, it can’t hurt more than it does now! So I reined myself in and started to breathe slowly and deliberately, with great resolve.

The pain did not change, but I changed. My will became greater and my soul took charge of my body. I almost can’t explain; all I know is I became still and I endured the pain. The struggle against a pain of any sort makes it so much worse. Someone who is flailing in the water in a panic trying not to go under and drown, can survive IF they calm down enough to flip over and float on their back. Sometimes life requires us to just float. Just float, and know that I am God. (Revised version)

Endurance And Focus

Endurance means: “to bear, resigned to, patience, tolerance, sufferance, acceptance, the ability to withstand hardship or adversity, to sustain a prolonged stressful effort or activity.” The thing about endurance is that it keeps you focused and keeps you from that suffocating, debilitating panic that pulls you under its power. “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:3-5)

Joy is Coming

We all experience some sort of pain in our life; that is a given. It is in the hardships of this life that we become stronger human beings. It is in the long swims against the current, in the long runs on broken roads, and the long nights of weeping where the best parts of who can be will rise up. Just like butterflies are first worms in a dark cocoon, and diamonds are first clumps of coal in a dark coal mine, so are WE going to be refined into masterpiece human beings from our times spent in the dark classroom of pain. “But as servants of God, we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities…” (2 Corinthians 6:4)

“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5)

So let us take a deep breath and just withstand and accept and tolerate whatever it is that has a grip on us. Let us just endure.

Let us just be still, as this too SHALL pass.

March 19, 2020 0 comments

Articles Faith

Truth Overrides Facts – A Testimony Of God’s Intervention

by Lesa Henderson August 6, 2019

written by Lesa Henderson

Lesa’s son, Brandon was a drug addict, but she refused to stop trusting God for his deliverance. In the process she learned that when it comes to God, truth overrides facts.

“The truth (what God says about a situation or a condition) overrides the facts!” says Kris Valloton of Bethel Church, Redding, CA. This is not just a powerful statement it is truth. I was reminded of this again recently when the following post from July 2012, came through my Facebook memories feed.

https://www.facebook.com/lesawhenderson/posts/4069104882543

In my own life, I’ve had to use the truth against both the lies of the enemy and also the factual circumstances opposing me. I know from personal experience this is not always easy. It requires effort and faith! I shared in an earlier post for GOD TV Hope Remains about our son Brandon’s heroin addiction and how hopeless it looked. He had literally become a shell of his former self and had overdosed several times!

But, finally after a long losing battle with addiction, Brandon, (with his probation officer’s permission) entered a regeneration program at Dunklin Memorial Camp in Okeechobee, FL. This was something we’d been praying and pushing for during the past few years. At last, he was there. He was safe. He was clean.

Breakthrough! We were rejoicing over the positive changes we were seeing in our son in only four weeks. And then… his probation officer violated him and he was arrested and extradited to another county to await trial. To say that I was devastated would be an understatement. But God is so merciful and filled with tender kindness, while even in my heartache and crying out Why? Why now? Abba sent us the scripture from Jeremiah 29:11-14. I was well familiar with verse 11, but as I was reading I felt Him prod me to continue down the page:

A promise from God

” ‘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. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for Me wholeheartedly, you will find Me. I will be found by you,’ says the Lord ‘I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land’.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

I felt the Father was promising me that not only did He have a plan for my son, He was going to bring him out of captivity. I grabbed onto this word and hid it in my heart. It was certainly tested over the next several weeks.

Meanwhile, (During the time of the above post), Brandon was back in jail, awaiting trial on 13 violations and was promised a prison sentence this time around. When he would speak to me on the phone, he tried to prepare me, “Mom, you need to prepare yourself, the Public Defender is saying it doesn’t look good. I’m probably going away for seven years, maybe 15.”

I knew what the judge overseeing his case had promised him. I also knew what I felt God had promised me. Even with fear trying to grip my heart and doubt knocking loudly, I responded, “I can’t hear that, son. I cannot receive that. I am believing for a miracle.”

Truth overrides facts

Long story shortened, for the sake of this blog, our day came in court and Brandon was given a 7-year prison sentence, but God influenced the judge to suspend it in lieu of him returning to Dunklin and completing the program, house arrest and terms of the 5-year probation followed it with fines. Any failure to comply would have lifted the suspension and the seven years would have had to be served behind bars! God knew what He was doing and whom the Son sets free is free indeed!

This summer when the post came through my feed marked seven years! Instead of prison Brandon was home with his wife Julie, building their family, relationship with God and serving in ministry both here and around the world!

We don’t just use the truth against lies, we also use it against fact! The fact is our son may have deserved prison but the truth is God’s mercies are new every morning!

The fact may be that your son or daughter is an addict, but the truth is whom the Son sets free is free indeed!

The fact may be that you have cancer but the truth is by HIS stripes we were healed!

The fact may be that your bank account and cupboards are empty but the truth is God is Jehovah Jireh – the God who provides.

The truth is, God is filled with compassion towards us, toward you. Hold onto the promise of His word and the promise He has given you. Use that truth not only against the lies the enemy throws at you but also facts. Truth trumps… outweighs… overrides facts!

Brandon’s Family Today

August 6, 2019 0 comments

Faith

Hope Remains

by Lesa Henderson May 22, 2019

written by Lesa Henderson

No matter how bleak it may look, hope remains… The post below, from 2011 came through on my Facebook recently. Seeing this memory feed was such a reminder of God’s faithfulness and how He wants us to always remain hopeful in all situations.

You see when I made that post, we were going through a really difficult time. We were struggling financially and trying to get our footing after the market crash of 2008. Our son, Brandon’s drug addiction had escalated to unimaginable heights, in spite of eing arrested by US Marshalls the previous fall! In the natural realm it looked like we were losing him.

To add to our concerns, our oldest daughter was in a destructive relationship. Our world was spinning out of control and it really looked hopeless. And the enemy was there whispering that it really was…

But… Romans 12:12 says, “Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.”

Don’t let hopelessness suck you down

Satan wants you to believe that it’s hopeless and your prayers are useless but they’re not! Today, our son is free. Brandon has an amazing career (one that should be impossible for someone with his past); he’s the father of three beautiful children; and he and his wife serve beside us in ministry. Brandon’s testimony has been featured in Charisma Magazine, The 700 Club and in the documentary Hope Has A Name and is going around the world.

Our daughter, Tiffany is married to a wonderful, Godly man and they’re the parents of two precious children and are also serving in ministry and carrying the Gospel around the world! This is a picture of our family today, but what if I’d given up? What if I’d listened to the lies of the enemy?

Hope Remains

Don’t let the quicksand of despair and hopelessness suck you down. Don’t give up! Press on! Be encouraged in this solid truth “As long as God is on the throne and the ruler of Heaven – HOPE REMAINS!”

This is my sincere prayer for you my friend: ^“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)

May 22, 2019 6 comments

Faith

Where To Find Strength In Times Of Trouble?

by Joyca Lorriene April 22, 2019

written by Joyca Lorriene

Difficulties or troubles in life are inevitable; no one is exempt from them. Sometimes we try to outlast the problems, forgetting to call on the One who can calm them. We are too focused on our issues, our pain, and even on the people that surround us, but unfortunately not focused enough on the One who can turn things around for us.

Here are three things that will help you find strength in times of trouble;

1. Find Strength in Jesus

There is no other name more powerful than the name of Jesus. His name is the name above all names.

revelation

He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He is our Savior, Healer, Deliverer, Redeemer, friend and most of all, the Lover of our Soul. He loves us so much that He could not let us continue to wonder about the true meaning of life or let us continue to struggle alone with our problems.

Sometimes we experience things that we think are too hard to bear but Jesus wants to remind us that nothing is too hard for Him. And that in every season He will always be with us and that He is still good. You can always count on Him. More than any other, He is the only One who understands you completely and with no condemnation.

2. Find strength in Who HE is

Jesus is telling us right now that no matter what kind of circumstances we are in, we should never lose sight of who He is. Satan’s goal is to make us feel weak, useless and ultimately to destroy us. Fight Satan’s attacks on your mind, body, and soul with the truth of Scripture! We have a loving God who can and will go before us!

Through trials, we can learn that there are no difficulties big enough to prevent God from accomplishing His will in our lives. He knows when we rise and when we fall, He sees every season in our lives.

He can calm a raging storm, can bring the dead back to life, and can heal every disease. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. See? Nothing is impossible for Him. Know Him more intimately by reading His truth in the Bible.

3. Find Strength in His Love

When we hasten to call on the Master and allow Him to bear our burdens, our peace may come in small reminders of His love and care, giving us the strength to get through the hard places of life. His love for us is eternal, and nothing can change that.

We know the depth of someone’s love for us by what it costs them: and Jesus’ love for you cost Him His life. Remember that the cost of His love was Himself—His life. It was not just money or time or energy or inconvenience or even suffering; it was the full extent of His sacrifice. He gave everything. Himself.

Always find strength in this, Jesus the Author and Finisher of your faith will never lead you astary. Trust in Him with all your heart and take His rest by enjoying His presence.

“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” (Isaiah 40:29)

Share this to bless others!

April 22, 2019 1 comment