Tough Times Are Guaranteed
"In this world, you will have trouble." Then He said, "But take heart. I have overcome the world." - John 16:33
God will often use disasters to get our attention. He might use finances, relationships, and our own physical health to get our attention. But remember, He always has a purpose. We can learn some deep spiritual truths while going through tough times.
Because of this truth, I want you to have a tough times theology. I want you to know what you believe about God, and what He is doing for you before tough times arrive. I want you to be ready.
If you believe tough times will never come, you need to think differently. It is a false expectation to think you will be immune from tough times. So in order to help you develop a tough times theology, I'm going to give you five principles for dealing with hard times. We’ll discuss the first two today and then three more tomorrow.
First, you must understand that tough times will come. Guaranteed. Jesus said, "In this world, you will have trouble." Then He said, "But take heart. I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). God promises that you will have trouble. You could say, "I don't want it. I don't pray for it." That's great, but you will have trouble. That is part of our life's journey. Tough times are a guarantee.
Second, you must realize that tough times reveal true friends. When you are going through tough times, your fair-weather friends are never around to be seen. They are around you when you party. They are there for the free food and the fellowship. But when you are experiencing a difficult time, fair-weather friends disappear. They will tell you, “I didn't know what to say. I didn't want to hurt you by bringing up what you are going through.†A true friend comes in the middle of your pain and tough times.
We need to realize that God sometimes allows us to go through tough times so we will find out who our real friends are. Scripture tells us, "Friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity" (Proverbs 17:17).
I pray you'll come back tomorrow as we discuss three more principles for dealing with tough times.
God will often use disasters to get our attention. He might use finances, relationships, and our own physical health to get our attention. But remember, He always has a purpose. We can learn some deep spiritual truths while going through tough times.
Because of this truth, I want you to have a tough times theology. I want you to know what you believe about God, and what He is doing for you before tough times arrive. I want you to be ready.
If you believe tough times will never come, you need to think differently. It is a false expectation to think you will be immune from tough times. So in order to help you develop a tough times theology, I'm going to give you five principles for dealing with hard times. We’ll discuss the first two today and then three more tomorrow.
First, you must understand that tough times will come. Guaranteed. Jesus said, "In this world, you will have trouble." Then He said, "But take heart. I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). God promises that you will have trouble. You could say, "I don't want it. I don't pray for it." That's great, but you will have trouble. That is part of our life's journey. Tough times are a guarantee.
Second, you must realize that tough times reveal true friends. When you are going through tough times, your fair-weather friends are never around to be seen. They are around you when you party. They are there for the free food and the fellowship. But when you are experiencing a difficult time, fair-weather friends disappear. They will tell you, “I didn't know what to say. I didn't want to hurt you by bringing up what you are going through.†A true friend comes in the middle of your pain and tough times.
We need to realize that God sometimes allows us to go through tough times so we will find out who our real friends are. Scripture tells us, "Friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity" (Proverbs 17:17).
I pray you'll come back tomorrow as we discuss three more principles for dealing with tough times.
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3 Comments
View tough times as an opportunity to draw closer to the Lord and exercise your faith and dependence on Him.
nHis Grace is sufficient!
n
I had a friend who I believed we would be friends for many years from when we met. She proved to be a fair weathered friend. She made a choice to abandon our friendship knowing I would need a friend to lean on. I thank God for the family and friends that I do have in my life. I'm grateful for my son especially.
I have Christian friends of whom we relate to each other our sorrows, Health conditions and our joys with each other. We are so blessed and thankful that we do have each to lean on