In our Bible Study, Redefined, we have been sharing our testimonies. It is encouraging to see how much God has blessed us, how He has redeemed some very difficult, ‘didn’t think I was going to make it’ circumstances.
We have come through our fiery trials without even the smell of smoke.
But sometimes we need to remember the pain, the questioning, the wondering, the sleepless nights we endured so that we can encourage others who are in the middle of their struggle. Let’s not waste our pain!
So to all my friends who are going through, let me encourage you. God is faithful. He is redemptive and He restores. He loves you and He is at work in your circumstance. Here are some of the things I found helpful during my trying times:
1. The Word – memorize It, meditate on it, stand on it, pray it, declare it.
2. Offer a praise of sacrifice. Praise God when you don’t feel like it. Praise Him through tears. Praise Him until the depression flees.
3. Serve. Give yourself to something bigger than yourself. First, it will take your eyes off of your own problem and secondly, you will be encouraged when you see God work through you on behalf of others.
4. Give. The Bible is clear, “Give and it will come back to you. Good measure, pressed down, and shaken together.” Sow a seed in faith in whatever area you need a blessing.
5. Wait. Trust that what God promised He will do. Avoid taking matters in your own hands. God is trustworthy. He is faithful.
6. Pray. Pray boldly. Pray confidently. Visualize God as a loving Father and you are His little child. Go to God as an accepted daughter or son and make your request known.
When I meditate on the past trials I went through, I realize my response were lessons I needed to learn. What began in crisis has now become a lifestyle. While God was never the author of my pain, He used it to mature me, to promote me, to fashion me into a “kick-butt, take no prisoner, ride or die Navy Seal for Jesus”. He wants to do the same for you.
While you are in the circumstance, it’s hard to see the redemption and restoration that is coming. But if you don’t give up, it will come. Check out my new book Redefined. It is full of testimonies of women who went through the fire and came out in the other side stronger, fiercer, wiser.
Brothers and sisters, take heart. There is hope. There is restoration. There is redemption. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. As they use to say in my childhood church, “Trouble don’t last always.” You will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.”
1 Peter 5:6-11 NIV
Modified repost from 2017