Handling Adversity: Tips to Keep Your Faith in Tough Times

Regardless of how strong you are in the scriptures or prayer, at some point in your Christian life you will encounter hardship. Jesus Himself said that we would suffer tribulation in the world (John 16:33 NASB). In some sense most believers realize this; however, when the hard times come our response to the difficulties say otherwise. How should you respond as a Christian when hard situations appear? Here are some practical tips to help keep you on the straight path.

Be Still

When bad things happen, we have a tendency to get emotional. That's okay; God gave us emotions for a reason. It's okay to feel angry, sad, disappointed, or whatever other emotions crop up. Just realize it isn't a good time to react while your emotions are on overdrive. When you react out of your emotions you will usually end up attempting to do things in your own strength, which is exactly the opposite of how things work in the Kingdom of God. The bible says in Psalm 37:7 to "Cease striving and know" that He is God. Let your emotions run their course, but don't act based on how you feel.

Focus on what you know...about God

What trouble hits, the problem isn't that we don't know how to focus. The problem is that we often focus on the problem, which will do nothing to solve it. The trick is to let nothing become bigger in your sight than God. Focus on Him and what you know to be true. For example, if you believe that God is good...allow that to give you strength to ask and trust Him for help. Unfortunately, if you fail to focus on what you know, then you'll find that your solutions will be few and far in between. It's a trick of the enemy to get you to focus on the problem, because then you won't be able to see the way out.

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