March 21, 2021
How To Stay Strong When Facing A Trial!
When you are confronted with tribulation whether it is at home, at your job, or just in general it can be completely overwhelming. Especially if you feel like you’ve been battling the same scenario over and over again with no end in sight. It will cause you to feel defeated, depleted, faithless, and entirely run-over! I know I have been there on multiple occasions and I’ll have to admit sometimes it can feel like you are being choked out about to pass out with nobody there to help you get out of the hole that you’re trapped in!
The fact of the matter is, the storms of life are going to come it’s inevitable there is no way of getting around it. Regardless if you are a believer or a non-believer those trials and tribulations will eventually hit. The Word of God tells us in Matthew 5:45 that the rain will fall on the just and the unjust. Unfortunately no one is given a free pass when it comes to encountering misery, suffering and pain that life tends to bring. Luckily there are things that you can do that will aid in keeping you strong so that when the trials arise you will be able to stand firm against them.
1. Get into your Word: I cannot stress enough how important the Word of God is during any and every challenging situation that you will ever have to encounter. It is Powerful and can break the chains of darkness, renew your mind, and give you the strength that you need to keep moving forward. Don’t wait until your back is against that wall and you are out of every other option before you decide to get Scripture saturated in your heart. You have to be prepared for the battle before it begins; don’t procrastinate until you are in the middle of it to determine that you want to take action. By that time it will be too late, the enemy will already have the upper hand because now he’s caught you off guard.
There are many scriptures that you can reflect on that will give you strength, here are some of them:
· Psalm 23
Let every one of these influential verses manifest in your spirit and instill them in your heart so that when the difficulties and hardships emerge, they won’t take you out! Let the Word of the Lord give you strength to overcome everything that wants to come against your mind, body, soul, and spirit. Remember the devil doesn’t come to play games with you, he wants to destroy you (John 10:10). Don’t give him the satisfaction; be prepared for him in advance!
2. Pray and Fast: The overpowering situations that we are up against with require us to get as close to the Lord as we possibly can. You want to feel His Presence because that is where strength lies. Two ways that we can get closer to Christ is by prayer and fasting. When you are the middle of calamity it can feel like nobody understands, there is no one that you can call on, and the Lord is seemingly so far away. That is not true, Scripture indefinitely states in Hebrews 13:5 “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” This is God’s promise to us that He will always be right by our side even when you can’t feel Him.
The purpose of prayer is to draw near to Him and openly vocalize your emotions without restraint. Regardless if you’ve never attempted to pray before that shouldn’t prevent you from making the effort to. It doesn’t have to feel uncomfortable, just express your heart because that is what really matters to our Heavenly Father. He wants to hear from you even though He already knows what you’re going through. He wants to have that open communication and prayer gives you the ability to have a two way conversation. You don’t have to have all of the right words to say all you have to do is be genuine and authentic. Dedicate prayer time with the Lord on a daily basis so that you can hear from Him when He’s trying to speak to you. He is the Only One that can provide you will all of the strength that you will ever need.
Fasting is also an import aspect of keeping your spirit strong. The thing that is undeniable is that we all love food; it is a part of daily life. It takes strength to die to your flesh and lean on your spirit to get you through those periods of fasting. It humbles you because we are reminded that we do need food and water to survive and your stomach growling reiterates that fact. During those moments of fasting, redirect your focus from your hunger to Christ by reading your Word, Praying, and being submissive to His will for your life. By emptying your fleshly man and filling your spirit man it will make you feel more connected with the Holy Spirit which in turn will provide you with strength. You will begin to find yourself desiring the things of the Lord which will bring you closer to Him. Remember Scripture makes it apparent what to do in regards to fasting in Matthew 6:16, Jesus goes into detail by stating when you fast not if you do. Fasting should be a part of every believer’s life.
3. Worship: Allowing yourself to let go and worship and praise the Lord with everything in you is extremely powerful! You are inviting God into your space which in turn will allow you to connect with your Heavenly Father. Never be ashamed to raise your hands while worshiping as it is a sign of surrender. We need Him in every aspect of our lives! If you have ever been in the Lord’s presence you understand how significant it is! He brings joy, peace, love, clarity, calmness, and strength to you in times of need. There have been instances where I have found myself so consumed with happiness during worship that I cannot contain myself. The tears flow and don’t stop and that is ok, just let them. It’s a sense of release and you will feel cleansed and rejuvenated as you empty out all of you and take in all of Him.
Worship also gives you strength to fight against the enemy’s attacks Psalm 18:3. Demons cannot stand worship and will do everything they can to get away from it. Make your house a house of prayer and worship and see how your assaults from the devil will begin to subside. Invite the Holy Spirit to live and dwell within you and welcome Him into every crevasse of your entire home. Worship also gives you power over negative emotions like depression, fear, doubt, unbelief, worry, anxiety, and the list goes on and on. Isaiah 61:3 explains how putting on the garment of praise (worship) will help you with overcoming the spirit of heaviness.
Below I have listed some of the worship songs that I listen to when my spirit feels depleted:
· Take me to the King-Tamela Mann
· Withholding nothing-William McDowell
· For Your glory-Tasha Cobbs
· Wide as the sky-Isabel Davis
· You know my name-Tasha Cobbs
· I can only imagine-Tamela Mann
4. Trust in the Lord’s timing: Trusting in the Lord’s timing can be one of the most difficult things that you will ever have to do. We all want to have the trial and tribulation that we are currently in to go away right now! I know I’ve been there plenty of times asking the Lord to set me free from the afflictions that are tearing my life apart and He doesn’t do it right away. That doesn’t mean that He won’t it just means that it is all in His timing and we must learn to trust Him. 2 Corinthians 12:8-10 explains that the Lord’s strength is made perfect in our weakness. What that means is when we endure hardships we must lean on Christ for strength and His promise is that it will supersede our weaknesses making us resilient enough to overcome.
As hard as it may be we have to understand that the Lord’s timing is perfect and only He knows why we are going through what we are going through. There may some things in you that He is trying to purge out of you and the only way that He can do that is to keep applying pressure to your circumstance. If I’m being honest I know at times it can seem as if your trial will never end, you will never make it through, or it can even feel like it is going to take you out. Trust and believe every adversity that I have triumphed over has made me stronger, more courageous, and fiercer than before I went through it. It will be the same result for you!