Romans 5:3-4, “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”

No one wants to have struggles in life, but hard times come to us all!  There’s nothing enjoyable about heartaches and problems in life, but we always have the choice to come out better instead of bitter through them.  God has promised to walk through the good, the bad and the ugly of life and it is your choice whether or not you will receive that invitation.  We have all had those days when we just feel like giving up, but what good would that do, exactly?  How will that make the outcome better?  

Do you feel completely helpless in a particular situation?  Allow God to carry you through.  Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:10, “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weakness, in  insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.”  He found his strength in God and he realized that it was when he felt at his weakest and most hopeless that God would step in and fill him with what he needed if he just rested in him.  Nope, it isn’t easy to do a lot of the time, especially when satan has you feeling as though you are all alone in what you are facing, but God is right by your side.  He will not fail you, He has promised to get you through to the other side if you will just cling to Him and follow Him.  Don’t choose your own path and then blame God because everything got worse.  Follow Him more closely than you ever have!  Allow Him to be your strength today.  Grow in perseverance and character and hope by allowing Him to work in you.  He loves you more than words can say!  Don’t buy satan’s lies that somehow you will feel better doing it your way instead of waiting on God.  You must remember that satan thinks you are stupid and easily manipulated so you need to kick him to the curb and tell him, “not today satan!”  God has equipped you to do mighty things and this struggle is just one more step to make you stronger to be all He created you to be if you will allow Him to work in you through it!

God sees and He loves you and He cares.  Not one tear that you have cried has escaped His notice.  Trust that He is working even when you don’t feel it or see it!  He has a plan, Jeremiah 29:11-13.  Seek Him with your whole heart knowing that truly His best is yet to come if you will stick close by His side!

Quote:  “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”  ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson