Victory over Adversity

Scripture:  Isaiah 55 v 8-9:  "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the Earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts."

2 Corinthians 1 v 5 - 6:  "For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.  And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation."

When adversity hits you like a ton of bricks, it could easily throw you into a pit of discouragement and despair. Although you may regard difficulties as setbacks, the Lord sees them as times for great advancement. His purpose in allowing them is not to destroy you but to stimulate your spiritual growth. In His great wisdom, the Lord knows how to take an awful situation and use it to transform you into the image of Christ and equip you to carry out His will.

Every adversity that comes into your life is sifted through God’s permissive will. That doesn’t mean the difficulty itself is His perfect will, but He’s allowed the trial to touch you so that He can use it to accomplish His wonderful purposes for your life. Although some of the suffering we see and experience seems senseless or blatantly evil, we must recognize that we have a very limited perspective and cannot always understand what the Lord is doing.

We need to realise from the verses in 2 Corinthians that we are also used by God to bear the afflictions of others.  It is to release them to find their way to salvation in Jesus.  It is very common in our prayer team, and we often say we are drawing off some stronghold from someone when we have a sudden affliction.  My dear friend in Australia was healed of breast cancer and regularly has fresh symptoms that are always negative when tested, as the Lord uses her to break that adversity from afflicting others.  We give God the glory for every healing He does through her and others.

Our heavenly Father sees every aspect of life, but our view is restricted to what is right before us. His plans include not only you but also all of His creation, and they reach from the beginning of time to eternity. Though we’ll never grasp the infinite mind of God, we can know His faithfulness and love.

When you can’t understand God’s ways, focus on His perfect knowledge, wisdom, and power rather than the magnitude of your sorrow. Remember, He sees the entire picture and loves you more than you can imagine. This is a time to walk by faith, as perfect understanding comes only in heaven.

There are signs that some of the major European banks are in danger of collapse, and this could give rise to fear and panic across the globe.  Remember that Jesus has everything under control, and that He loves us.  There is a scripture that says the wealth of the unjust is laid up for the righteous, so this is a good incentive to check your standing with the Lord.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, Your ways and thoughts are certainly higher than the most brilliant humans, and we need to discover the depths of the mind of Christ to know how to apply Your perfect will to our circumstances.  We are thankful to know that the things which afflict us are really Your ability to use us to save others from eternal damnation.  You are in full control of our lives. In Jesus' name. Amen.