Make your troubles work for you

No matter who you are, troubles will arise from time to time. One day as I was complaining to God about the horrible problems I was facing, the Lord spoke to me through 2 Corinthians 4:17. It changed the way I look at any trouble I face forever! As I read, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,” three things im­mediately jumped out at me.

1. Every problem you face is temporary.

Compared to what Jesus went through and the tragedies that many others face, our troubles really are light. Of course, our troubles never seem light while we are going through them. But one thing we all must admit: Every trouble is not forever. The good news is that any trouble I face will not last the rest of my life! THIS TOO SHALL PASS.

Of course we’re never going to pray for God to give us more trouble so we can get all these benefits. But it sure does help us to navigate through today’s problems if we recognize that God’s hand is on us.

2. Your troubles will benefit you.

Your problems are temporary AND they will turn out for your benefit. To tell the truth, I couldn’t see how the trouble I was facing could ever work for good. But can’t you look back and see that, although some past troubles were rough, it all worked out for the better? These are just a few ways that my troubles have worked out for me, but I’m sure you could add to the list:

Change of direction. You may have been heading in a direction you didn’t know was de­structive, but you’re headed in a successful direction today. Problems can give us a clearer understanding of our God-given destiny.

Confirmation. You get to know which values are important and which ones aren’t. Then you commit to live those values out in your relationships, your God-given time on earth, your ability to influence people for Jesus, etc.

Greater trust. Through trouble, you learn to recognize God’s involvement in your life and trust Him more than ever before.

A thankful heart. You learn to thank God for what you do have rather than complaining about what you don’t have. You realize how good life really was before the trouble came. You wake up to recognize how selfish you were.

3. The best is still yet to come.

God’s Word says that my light trouble (as com­pared to what JESUS went through) would work for me a destiny that would release His Glory in and through me and would also increase His favor in my life. I would be a greater influence to others for Jesus.

Of course we’re never going to pray for God to give us more trouble so we can get all these benefits. But it sure does help us to navigate through today’s problems if we recognize that God’s hand is on us and our circumstances. We can confess Romans 8:28 with confidence “ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER for good to them that love the Lord and are the called according to His purpose.”

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Good news: The bad news is wrong!

Yes, you heard me right! The bad news you heard about yourself, about your destiny and simply accepted as fact is WRONG! We are quick to believe the lies the enemy speaks about us instead of hanging on to the promises God gives us. The voice of our circumstance shouts louder than the voice of God’s dreams and visions in us.

In spite of how things look to you, God holds on to the promises He redeemed for you. They are not lost or gone forever. They’re on God’s lay-away plan, waiting for you to claim them. The bill can be paid in full by completely trusting in God’s word, no matter how long ago He spoke it to you. God’s word has a voice. You need to pay more attention to His voice than to natural circumstances that are changeable.

Whose report do you believe?

In Isaiah 53:1 the prophet cried out, “Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?” That’s the question God still asks today. Your enemy wants you to believe that all is lost and you’ll just have to live without the things God promised.

David heard the same hateful voice of the enemy as he faced Goliath, but experience had taught him differently. As a shepherd boy, he had killed a lion and a bear that  broke into his sheep fold. In spite of seemingly overwhelming circumstances, David rose up, pursued the predator and found that God had prevented their strong jaws from crushing the frail lamb. Why? Because the lamb belonged to David! And when David confronted Goliath, he acted boldly because of his experience with the lion and bear.

Pursue your dreams

God has given you irrevocable promises concerning your marriage, finances, career, ministry opportunities, your health, etc. The promises haven’t come to pass yet, and it appears they never will. But that’s exactly what the lion wants you to believe… so you won’t pursue him.

The bad news says your dreams are in the lion’s mouth, but that news is wrong. God didn’t let the devil kill your dream and consume what He has redeemed for you. This year, I encourage you to take the following simple steps to fully recover what belongs to you, just like David:

Recover all!

1. Stop seeing yourself as a victim. You possess the power to control your circumstances and not be controlled by them.

2. Believe God’s promises and acknowledge the integrity of His word. Thank Him for them and ask Him to forgive your unbelief.

3. Practice selective hearing! Stop listening to all the lies and negative voices. Instead, tune in to God’s voice of truth.

4. Start pursuing your God-given promises. Ask God for His strategy to recover what’s been stolen. You will recover all, but you need to let Him order your steps as your pursue it.

5. Finally, don’t look back. Focus on restoring what seemed stolen. God’s good news? THE BAD NEWS IS WRONG!

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Remove your greatest barrier to success

If you could change one thing to improve your chances of success, would you do it? I believe you would. What I’m about to share will change your life forever and position you to overcome obstacles, set-backs and past failures. But be warned: Knowledge only benefits you if it is applied. An intellectual concept by itself is a stumbling block and a deception. The knowledge God gives you for a situation is helpful only when you step out in faith on it. So plan to put this knowledge into action.

Get past the great barrier

The one great barrier that I see we all need to remove is the habit of blame shifting. What is blame shifting? It’s deflecting the attention concerning an incident away from you and towards another person or entity. For example, a husband who hits his wife may say: “I would have never hit her if she hadn’t talked to me that way.” Or an adulterous wife might say: “I would have never looked for love if he hadn’t stopped paying attention to me, going out drinking with his friends every night.”

Though it may seem insignificant, shifting the blame is a common and acceptable problem. Our story of the wrong done to us by others may be the truth, but it’s rarely the whole truth!

It’s true that our spouse spoke harshly and withdrew his or her affection. The truth be told, we responded negatively which puts some of the responsibility on us. By not accepting our part, you and I build a story that is only half true and, therefore, undermine our future success. How? Failure to accept responsibility for what happens today causes us to undergo the same experiences repeatedly.

Why do you blame shift?

• You are afraid of being rejected more than you already are. Rejection is very painful and facing more seems unbearable.
• You are ashamed of your bad decision and don’t want anybody to see you that way. It’s like our first parents who sinned and hid from God because they were afraid of being found out. They recognized their nakedness and put on fig leaves (excuses) to cover their shame. …And they blame shifted. Adam blamed God and the woman. The woman blamed the serpent.

Now, it’s true that Eve tempted Adam, but that’s not the full reason he sinned. It’s true that the devil tempted Eve, but that’s not the whole reason she disobeyed God. As long as you fail to accept your part in the problem, there is no hope of breaking the cycle of failure in your marriage, your business, your relationships, your career, etc.

Accept your part in the problem

Accept your small part in the story (I say “small” because most people only see themselves as having a tiny role in the problem…but something is better than nothing.) When you do:

1. You confront the part of you that is in rebellion towards God’s will. If you never humble yourself, it becomes a negative seed that shows up again the next time you start over.
2. You lessen the anger, hurt and outrage toward the other people or entities involved—because you took responsibility for your part (no matter how small).
3. You attain the ability to forgive yourself and others for their part in your hurt. Remember, God’s presence is the most important thing in your life. (“Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty (2 Cor. 3:17).” “Blessed are they that have a pure heart for they shall see the Lord (Matt. 5:8).”)
4. You clear the way for future success. The next time you step out in faith, you won’t be plagued by past failure. This time, you’ll succeed, instead of having to start things over and over again until you give up.
5. You shed your victim mentality and tell your story with humility. Remember, “God resists the proud but exalts the humble (James 4:6; I Peter 5:5).”

Success is in your hands

Your success is in your hands, no one else’s. Make the decision to stop blame shifting and remove the one barrier that has been hindering your success. Deal with YOU and let God deal with everyone and everything else!

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