This is so true in the life of a Christian.  You would think it would be the opposite.  You might imagine after becoming a Christian that life is going to be so much better now.  This couldn't be more further from the truth.


When God tests His children, His purpose is to prove that our faith is real.  It's not to see if we can handle the test or how much we can take.  God is testing us to prove that no trial will overcome our faith in Him.


And, without a test, what kind of testimony would you have?  Few want to hear about how easy your life is and about how you have no problems.  No, many want to know, as a Christian, that we have battles too, and that along with God, how we overcome many obstacles.


Expect to be tested and afterwards tell others of what God did in your life.


James 1:2-4 - "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. "

God understands us perfectly and loves us eternally.  This should make you smile.  Knowing that the Creator of the universe, who flung the stars in the sky, knows the number of hairs on our head; knows every heartache and every victory.


God is not shaken when our life takes a hard blow; He's not moved when our world is falling apart.  Just the opposite.  He's right there with you. 


God comforts us in our affliction in order that we may comfort those afflicted after us.  Being comforted by God, equips us to comfort others around us.

God understands exactly what you're going through today.  He's just a breath away, waiting for you to respond to Him.


John 6:35 - Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst."

It's not a question of will we have trouble in this world, it's when.  


Many of our trials that we go through will have no clear explanation.  Troubles concern us because as Christians spiritual temptations can come from hard times.


Face it, we live in a fallen world.  It is just the common lot of mankind because sin is in the world.  We can't escape it, but we do have hope.  We have a Savior that died on a cross, that took our place, that bore our sins so that we may live.  Jesus didn't say that He died for us so that we would be sin free.  But, He did give us the choice to follow Him and that no matter what comes our way, He will make a way out.  He is the beginning and the end.


To spend an eternity with Jesus is worth any adversity I face today.  


I don't wake up wondering if I'm going to face problems every day.  I wake up thanking Jesus that I'll not be facing them alone.


John 16:33 - "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world."

In happy moments, praise God.  In the difficult moments, seek God.  In the quiet moments, trust God.  In every moment, thank God.


Love that quote.  The fact is, God is always nearby.  He never takes vacation.  He never sleeps in.  He never forgets about us, for one minute.  So, take time to thank Him when you're reveling in happiness.  Take time to seek Him, really seek Him in those difficult moments.  When you're going through quiet moments, trust that God is there.  And in every moment of every day, thank God for your life.


We're only here on this earth but for a moment.  Don't waste another one without recognizing God!


Psalm 136:26 - "Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever. "

We all have experienced anxiety about a situation, worry about a loved one or just rattled emotionally.  God knows all about these times of stress.  


There has been anxiety and fear since the beginning of mankind, in the garden when Adam and Eve disobeyed God.


The good news is we don't have to live in anxiety, fear or even shame.  Through God's grace and love and His written Word, we can have peace and joy.


But it's not only His love and grace, it's trusting Him with the outcome, no matter how bleak it looks.


I choose to trust God with my worry of a loved one today. God's got this!  It's a peace that passes all understanding from man.


What about you?  Are you trusting God with the outcome today?


Philippians 4:6-8 - "6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

How do you respond to adversity?  Adversity is described as affliction, opposition, pressure, testing or tribulation.  Adversity usually comes in more than one problem.  If we don't see God's hand in the adversity, it could be destructive.


God is competing with our attention every day.  This competition comes from the cares of the world.  They seem to diminish or choke out God's Word.  God promises us rest if we come to Him in times of adversity.


While we're going through adversity, Satan will try to convince us that God has forgotten about us; He doesn't care.  When we learn to recognize God's love in adversity, we're able to lift up our heads and rest in the assurance that God is near.  


Matthew 11:28-30 - "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

This world is filled with hopelessness.  You see it every day; every time you walk down the city streets; people begging for money, anything.  This is where you see the hurting people, but what you don't see is the professional coming into the office every day with a pain so deep on the inside of their soul that they can barely get out of bed in the morning.  I pray for people like that every day, because even though we can't see their pain, God can.  All it takes is for them to reach out and ask God for help in their hopeless situation.


But rejoice my Christian friends!  We also can be hurting today, but we on the other hand we have hope!  Hope is one of our deepest virtues as Christians.  We should be known as a hopeful people.  Yes, we have trials also, but those trials are there to produce character, which in turn produces hope.


Are you hurting today?  There is hope.  It is in the King of Kings and His name is Jesus!


Romans 12:12 - "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer."

We can't fully understand the beauty of grace until we understood the depths of our needs!


What a profound statement, but very true.  Grace is given freely by God every day to those who love Him and keep His commandments.


Grace is from God and it means several things, but one of the most important definitions is 'the unmerited favor of God to those who are under condemnation.'


None of us ever deserve the grace that God so freely gives us every day.  Our feeble minds cannot comprehend the magnitude of this free gift.  And, we will never come close to understanding this until we look at ourselves and see how much we need God and how much we depend on Him.


We can't earn grace.  We can't be 'good enough' to deserve it.  


Grace is a beautiful thing and I hope those of you that are reading this have received grace in your life today.  Grace must be deeply appreciated, but never manipulated or distorted.


Ephesians 2:8-9 - "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."