Be Strong in the Lord!

So, I am in the middle of transitioning about my life. I don’t know what you’re going through in this current moment of your life, but I guarantee you that if you live in this world you are not immune to problems and challenges. Because it’s just part of life. As Jesus said,  “In this life, you will have tribulation. It is guaranteed. No one is exempted from that tribulation. No one is really going to escape from problems in life. Each one of us has different kinds of trials. Sometimes you wonder why God allows bad things to happen or we may want to make sense of it all. But there are times that God just doesn’t give you the answer to your questions.

But today I would like to say that in Deuteronomy 3:18 it says and the Lord, He is the one who goes before you. He will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you. Do not fear nor be dismayed. 

Lessons Learned in Hardship

Most of us encounter problems. When we have issues no matter how big or small, our problem is we think that we’re all alone on this journey. We think that no one really cares or God has abandoned us. Because why God? If he really loves me, why does these bad things happen to me? But He is going to tell us that He is with us. He will not leave us nor forsake us. So, we do not have to be afraid or be dismayed. This is really where your faith is being tested, in times of trials.

Because sometimes majority of us would want to crumble and give up in life and we want to just have the self pity party, woe is me. Why is this happening? And so, we always get caught up in that cobweb of lies because of we have an enemy that always going to tell you that well if God loves you, “Why does he allowed this bad things to happen, bad things are not really bad. Adversities are there to teach us a lesson. It increases our faith. It is testing how genuine our faith is. I think I have done a video about this many days ago. So, if you have not really check on that you can go back to my playlist. Click here to watch video

Live by Faith

So faith is about enduring. It’s about really knowing that God is in the midst of your trials. All you have to do is just believe in Him and really understand that there’s always a way when there seems to be no way. God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts, His ways are higher than our ways. We may not understand why he’s allowing these things to happen in our lives. As I said, you could be dealing with financial issues, marital problems, whatever it is that you’re dealing with right now.

Every one of us as I said have different problems, different kinds of challenges that it just probably looks different. But there are still problems. So this is why what are we going to do when we have all this issues in life, and the thing that I really want to focus on. Especially, when I have no idea, what’s the end of the tunnel when you don’t know exactly how to go above your problems or how to go forward. 

Because sometimes when we are in the midst of trials, when we’re dealing with circumstances that we don’t understand. We are impulsive and that is the last thing that you want to do to make hasty decisions that are going to destroy your future. Although there are times that we must make a decision when it has to be made when it’s necessary. When it comes to your safety. When it comes to your well-being. When it comes to your mental, emotional well-being, psychologically well-being. Then there’s a time to take action. You cannot just be passive in this life.

Be an Active Participant

As I always like to share my channel being passive in your life is just waiting around for something to change or someone in your life to change. And if you have been seeing the signs and the patterns and they have not really shown part of themselves that they’re willing to try. 

This is about time to just sometimes distance yourself from these people and one of the things that especially when I’m making major decision is that I always seek God. And it says in Psalm 15: 4- 5 says, “Seek the Lord and His strength. Seek His face evermore. Remember his marvelous works which he has done. His wonders and the judgments of His mouth.”

So, the first thing that you must do when making a major decision especially a decision that that will impact your life, your future, your children. Perhaps, if you have one, seek the Lord. To seek His guidance because as I said and alluded to what I just said previously that God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts, his ways are higher than our ways. He already knows the beginning. He already knows the ending. He knows exactly the future what future holds. 

Trust God’s Timing

Because He is an omnipresent God. He knows before the beginning of time, your life is going to ended in 10, you know 10 years from now. He knows exactly what’s going to happen uh 15 years from now. He is that ubiquitous God. He is overly aware that you know. I am aware. I’m here. I’m still on my throne. I have not yet removed myself from my throne. Because He’s never going to be removed whatsoever and so He said to seek His face ever forever more. And remember His marvelous works which he has done. So one of the things that not only I seek God’s guidance. Trust in the Lord with all your heart.

In Proverbs 3:5-6 and not lean on your own understanding. To trust God is to tell Him about your plans in life, about telling him about God. What should I do with this situation? How should I go about with this problem? Because that is the wisest thing to do is to let God. Get him involved in your life. Because people’s opinions, sometimes they’re good. But at the end of the day, the best opinion is from God the best uh partner that can give you the best advice is from the heavenly Father who knows you so well, who knows exactly what you are capable of and he knows exactly your limitations. 

He knows exactly the kind of things that you must do at the moment. And so trusting in the Lord is about having faith in Him, believing that no matter what happens He always has you.

Know a good plans for you Jeremiah 29:11 that says, “For the thoughts and the plans that God has for you is not for evil and not for disaster but to give you hope and a future.

Activating God’s Word

So we have to be reminded of that and meditate on that Word and He also says that in times of trials, you also have to remember His marvelous works which He has done. And another thing that I also do when I’m going through some hardships is I remind myself of the things that God has done in my life before. We have to recall the moment that when God brought us out of that kind of trials. I’m pretty sure when you recall back,  you can see the footprints or the fingerprints of God all over your life. 

You know that God was in the making. God was moving something behind the scenes that you do not know or do not understand and you can see that when you look back in your life. You can say to yourself it was God’s handling that situation. It wasn’t me. It was the word. The word that really became alive in my life, the mana. The Word became flesh that really helped me to get through that painful experiences. If you don’t know my story probably you would just check my book link down below, “Relentless love of God that was published in 2019. I shared about my story how I overcome traumatic experiences.

So, I would recall back of what God did in my life and how was he able to show up in my life at that moment. If God showed up then because He said, “I’m always a God that never changes. I am the same yesterday, today and forever and I’m a God who doesn’t change. I’m a God who doesn’t lie. I am steadfast. He is constant. He doesn’t vacillate between I love you today and then I love you not tomorrow because you have messed up. Because God doesn’t function like that.

He’s not a man who is a fickle minded man. So, when you recall the bad things that happened to you in your life and you recall that God showed up and you are going through some things today and you think that God where are you and you wonder am I all alone and you question if God is still going to show up for you. Because sometimes as I said when you are going through problems, health problems or whatever issues that you’re going through right now painful experiences, maybe you have lost a loved one. You felt all alone and abandoned and you wonder, “Why is God still there, can He still feel my pain or  can you still hear me?”

That’s why we have to recall. We have to put this in the memory of how God showed me before of how to get to get through this pain and he can also show you the way  out because that’s who God is. He said in His word to ask and it shall be given to you, to seek and you shall find and to really just understand that God’s loving kindness and tender mercies are new every morning. We may not want to just deal with with the issue, right now. But you just also have to take it one day at a time. 

Do Not Worry

Also Jesus said, “Do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow’s problem I mean today’s problem is sufficient enough.” So another thing that when you are dealing with something bigger issues in life, take it one day at a time. That’s all you have is today. You don’t really know what the future holds.

Yesterday is gone. The past is behind you. So what we have right now is today, at this moment. This is all we have. So we can focus today and give everything we’ve got and really just understand what do you have in store for me today God, I’m just going to bring this into your hands. I’m going to just lay everything at your altar. To make me understand of what your plans for today. Because we don’t know really what the future holds and so what we can focus is right now at this moment, today. Because Jesus said today’s problem is sufficient enough. It’s enough. You don’t have to worry or figure out like okay what’s going to happen tomorrow. God I don’t know what’s going to happen, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t plan but as I said, you have to ask Gods to give you direction and to give you some guidance. Because we are being uh told that we have to apply the Word of God. Do you know that when you are in the midst of trial, that’s when God becomes so real? At least that’s what I can feel. Because I always like to challenge God.

I don’t know about you but when there’s something going on with my life. I always say, God you said this about your word then I’m going to challenge you that you said that You will be my provider. You’re my Jehovah Jireh. You’re are the One who will make a way when there seems to be no way. Because God said in His Word will not go void in heaven. So when you tell God about what His promises on his word, he’s not going to lie. He’s not a God that he lies. His hands are not too short to extend his help to you. He is a God who always listens to our cry. He may not give us the answer that we want right away. He may not give us the explanation because He is not supposed to. He’s actually just giving us the the ability to trust. All he wants is to obey and to trust Him. Obey and trust me when I tell you to do this.

Then you must obey and trust me. Trusting and obedience are very hard to do especially when we are so rebellious and we want to do things on our way. Because God’s ways sometimes are not our own ways, His ways sometimes don’t make sense. But that’s exactly when faith comes in.  That’s when we are living by faith and not by sight. Sometimes He tells us to move forward or to go on even though we are just we don’t have an idea of what’s going to happen in the end of it. But He wants us to keep on moving, you know, one foot after the other where He wants us to keep on really just living in this moment. I know sometimes problems can bring us down. It makes us depressed. It makes us really just sad that we want to wallow in self-pity. We want to get into this depression and the pit of our suffering. But that is the opposite of what Jesus said to pick up your mat and walk.

You have to just have to keep on keeping your head down and working hard on your goals and your visions and what it is that you want to do with your life. Because sometimes the only way to really just not get into this depression mode or overthinking as I always like to tell to myself, you I always over analyze sometimes and there are times that I do that when I’m trying to process everything and there are moments that you really have to just like snap out of it and keep on moving.

And just do things that are that that need to be done. You have to make decisions that are going to be wise. You have to be wise enough. To know the pros and the cons, the consequences of your actions right now. What are the ramifications if I do this? What is going to be the end results? So when making a decision. As I always there are going to be a lot of factors that you have to count in. You cannot just make the decisions because you’re impulsive or you’re just very emotional right now.

As I said, even though you have been thinking about it and if you think that it’s time for you to move on. Then do the hard part. Even though at the moment, it doesn’t make sense but at the same time when you’re actually you know, want to rush everything and you just want to do this and do that you have to slow down and stop yourself. Hastiness sometimes is the worst thing that you can do especially with making major decision. You have to really just pray about it. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you ask the Father in Heaven through the spirit of the His son Jesus Christ and the power of the Spirit that God is this really what you want me to do. Am I really doing the right thing? Am I really making the right decisions? 

Because sometimes as I said we might be hearing different voices, different opinions but at the end of the day, God’s ways are always the best. God’s thoughts are always the best way to go. Because we are just a fallible human being. We don’t know really the the big picture. We don’t know the end result of our choices that we make. So, we have to be not just wise in our decision- making. We have to be prayerful. We have to trust God in the process and even though it’s hurting us, we can praise God in the in the midst of our trials. When we worship God, we lose focus on our present problem. We’re fixing our eyes on Him. We are not really just fixing with me, myself and I. Like woe is me. I am so depressed right now. I can’t do this God but when we fix our eyes upon heaven and we praise Him and we worship Him.

We acknowledges that He is Sovereign and that the Lord your God according to Zephaniah 37 is in your midst, the mighty one will save you. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will quiet you with His love. He will rejoice over you with singing. So, when God is in the midst of you, He will going to give you the strength, and He gives you the gladness when we praise God. In this, you greatly rejoice though now for a little while if need be you have been grieved by various trials that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold perishes.

Though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, in 1 Peter 1:16, it says that we are greatly to be rejoiced. Rejoicing is counterintuitive, you can ask me like I cannot rejoice when I’m going through problems right now. But for a little while if need be you have been grieved by various trials because the trials, the the troubles in life, the tribulation, these are testing of your faith, the genuineness of your faith and being much more precious than gold that perishes to be tested by fire. So you’re being forged in the fire. Problems can forge us into the fire that makes us resilient. It makes us stronger and mature in our walk in the Lord. God just doesn’t want want us to drink a milk of a baby formula.

He wants us to mature, he wants us to grow up uh here up in the head, to have a childlike Spirit. Like C.S. Lewis says, “God wants us to have a childlike Spirit. To keep your curiosity, to have creativity. A childlike spirit is teachability but at the same time. He also want us to have a mature mind and adult mind. To think like a boy. Not a boy anymore but a man and a woman. According to 1 Corinthians, “When I was a child, I spoke like a child. I thought like a child. I talk like a child but when became an adult I put away childish things.” So God wants us to really uh endure and not give up in the moment. He wants us to be resilient and keep on moving forward. As much as we can and we may not know the ending or we may not know the answer right now but at this moment God wants us to just trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not in your understanding.

In Philippians 2 that says, “Be anxious for nothing. Do not worry about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving. Let your request be made known to God and He gives you peace that surpasses all understanding.”