How to Overcome and Gain Victory in Suffering

victory, suffering, character, Isaiah 54:17I’ve been watching a Netflix show recently about a group of young adults who, one and all, have had to overcome great obstacles and, in many cases, personal tragedy in order to reach their goals and be successful.  What’s interesting to me is that even though the series has a positive tone, it hasn’t pulled any punches or tried to gloss over the suffering that each of these characters has experienced nor has it failed to show the consequences of their decisions.  A few have thrived and really used the difficulties that they have faced to become stronger and wiser while others have tried to cope by running away or turning to substance abuse.  One, in particular, decided that his greatest problem was caused by some of the people close to him and that led him to act in a way that had truly tragic circumstances for several of them.

You could say then, that even though they were completely different people with varied backgrounds and abilities, what really defined them in the end was how they overcame adversity and responded to suffering.  And even though this was based on fictional characters and a fictional story, I am convinced that this is a lesson that we need to learn well and take to heart.  Our lives and our legacy will be, in large part, defined by how well we overcome adversity and the character that we show while experiencing suffering.

One of the main characters in the show was a young lady who struggled and made it through law school but as a result of her singular focus on passing the bar exam she developed very bad eating and sleeping habits that led to weight gain and poor overall health with some serious side effects.  She had to learn how to be a healthy person and treat her body with the same attention and care that she gave to her learning while still taking care of her responsibilities at her job and in her home.  She likes to say that she isn’t the smartest or most attractive but that once she puts her mind to it, she can do anything and over the course of the series she displays this same plucky attitude over and over again and refuses to ever give up or quit.

This type of positive thinking and inner fortitude is admirable and makes for good television but, in the real world, it often doesn’t work like that.  There are some chains that just can’t be broken, some illnesses that can’t be overcome and some problems that can’t be solved by positive thinking and inner strength.  With all of the things that afflict us, both from without and within, there is only one power and one solution that can overcome the greatest obstacle time and time again.  That power belongs to God and God alone but is available to us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

Many problems, many obstacles and many afflictions and not one of them can stand in the face of the power of God Almighty.  At the sound of His name every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord and even Death itself must give way.  In Him there is hope, there is strength, there is love and there is forgiveness.  Whatever we have faced in the past, are facing today or will face tomorrow He can redeem it and give us the ultimate victory.  This is God’s promise to those who would give Him their hearts and lives and this is the best response to the obstacles we face and the suffering we must endure.

Whatever it is, cry out to God and give it to Him.  Admit your inability to solve it on your own and confess your trust in Him.  Then, prepare to be amazed with God and His work in your life!

No weapon formed against you shall prosper,
And every tongue which rises against you in judgment
You shall condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
And their righteousness is from Me,”
Says the Lord.  Isaiah 54:17 (NKJV)

And Then I Awoke

forgiveness, remembrance, correction, praiseI am continually amazed by how God works and how he chooses to reveal himself to us.  There have been many times in my life where I was in the middle of a problem and God chose to somehow, some way, step in and completely alleviate the situation.  At times, I know he has caused things to happen and that he dealt directly with my circumstances in order to make a way for me where there was no way before.  But, more often, he chose to reveal himself to me and in so doing, he changed me in the midst of my circumstances.

God’s problem solving is always miraculous to me, whether it is changing circumstances or changing the person that I am in order that I might be more like Jesus.  Both types of deliverance are worthy of remembrance and praise and one particular instance comes to mind that still brings me joy every time I think of it.

Life and work were especially busy at that time (when are they not?) and I was also recuperating from a cough and cold so I was not at my best.  I don’t know best how to describe what I was thinking and feeling except to say that I was just down.  I was in a bit of a funk and even though I acknowledged it I couldn’t really figure out why.

I couldn’t put my finger on any specific moment where I had gone wrong and all I could do was to continually take “me” to the Lord and just pour out my heart to him.  I asked God to examine me and show me if I had sinned or if I was just feeling down mentally and spiritually because I was physically tired and trying to get over an ailment.  All I could really say for sure was that something was not right and I knew that the best thing for me to do was just to trust God to work it out just as he had so many times before.

That night I dreamed.  I can’t say I remember exactly what the contents of the dream were but it was enough to make an impression on me and to wake me from my sleep.  And in those few moments between sleep and full wakefulness God revealed to me that I was disappointed in myself for a mistake I had made in the recent past and that I was mentally punishing myself for it even though he had already forgiven me.  There was no audible voice but the impression and clarity of the thought was so strong that I had no doubt that it was heaven sent.

Right then and there I asked God to forgive me for holding on to something that he had already forgiven and, at his prompting, I let myself be at rest in him.  It was the most wonderful, peaceful feeling and I woke up the next morning a new and different person from who I was the day before.  My mental outlook and attitude were instantly refreshed and I knew that God had, once again and because he loves me, chosen to step in and rescue me.

Nothing outwardly was different and my circumstances did not change.  But God’s touch through the teaching and correction of the Spirit made all of the difference to me and I thank God for the remembrance and that I am able to share it with others in this format.  One of the best things we can do for each other as believers is to tell each other of how God has worked in our lives and of the victories that he has won.  Let us, together, give God the glory he deserves and use those victories to encourage each other as we go.

How To Win All Of Life’s Battles

prayer, praise, worship, 2 Chronicles 20It seems to be the case lately that God is taking me on a journey of discovery in His word.  Several times in recent memory I have been reading a Sunday School lesson or studying for a blog post when a verse or group of verses will seem to leap right off of the page and into my heart and mind, grabbing my attention and imprinting a vital truth in the process.

This seems to happen in spurts and although I don’t know exactly why it works that way, I just do my best to listen and to learn.  These teachable moments sponsored by the Holy Spirit are precious to me and I hope that they continue throughout this lifetime and in to the next one.

That being said, I believe that God works and reveals Himself to us in unique and individual ways just as we are all unique and individual.  Such “inspirational” moments may not happen to you in the same way but I do believe that, based on the promises in the Bible, reading, studying and meditating on the good book will cause us to change for the better.  We truly have all of the resources we need in God’s word provided to us by the Holy Spirit and that includes help in all of life’s battles.

In 2 Chronicles chapter 20 we see a glimpse into the life of King Jehoshaphat as the Ammonites, Moabites and inhabitants of Mount Seir arrayed themselves against God’s people.  To really get the full picture of what is transpiring here you should read all of 2 Chronicles 20 but focusing in on the following verses we see something really amazing happen.

 18Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord.19 Then some Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up and praised the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.

20 Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.” 21 After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying:

“Give thanks to the Lord,
    for his love endures forever.”

22 As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. 23 The Ammonites and Moabites rose up against the men from Mount Seir to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped to destroy one another.

Jehoshaphat knew that a battle was coming.  He knew the enemy was coming against him and he didn’t run from it or try to hide from it.  He faced it in the best way possible.

 Notice in verse 18 of chapter 20 that the first thing he did was fall on his face before God.  He called all of the people together and as one body they fell on their faces and worshiped the Lord.  After praying and worshiping he encouraged his people to have faith in God (verse 20) and then he did a very curious thing (verse 21).  He put the choir out in front of the army!  And of course you can read the result of this unorthodox battle strategy: the enemy turned on each other and was utterly routed in defeat.

Jehoshaphat and the people of Israel were victorious because they let God fight and win the battle for them.  They were careful to call on His name in faith and then they trusted God to see them through.  They began with prayer and worship and then praised God to begin the battle.  And on hearing the praise of the true and living God the enemy was defeated.

For me, this was a powerful and meaningful lesson from the Lord on how to fight and win the battles that I face in life.  That doesn’t mean that I will always understand every outcome or that things will always go my way but that as long as I am trusting the Lord and fighting with worship and praise then the result of the battle will surely belong to the Lord.

Fighting our battles with prayer, worship and praise as a three pronged strategy is a tried and tested method straight from God’s word to us.  It is a strategy that I have implemented lately to wonderful results and I would encourage you to do the same.