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Walking Through Times Of Adversity
4
Principles to Help Us Through Tough Times
By Charles F. Stanley
If we’re
confident of the Lord’s love for us and understand how He uses adversity in our
lives, we will be able to trust Him and respond in a way that benefits us.
Consider
these biblical principles about our hardships:
1. Adversity is one of God’s most effective tools for strengthening our
faith.
If we
focus on the ways He is working within us and enabling us to endure affliction,
our trust in Him will grow even if our circumstances stay the same.
2. The Lord sends adversity to help us, not to hurt us.
God’s
purpose for allowing pain is to achieve something good.
He may be
trying to correct us or produce godly character in us.
In the
case of the apostle Paul, God protected him from pride and taught him to depend
on Christ (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).
3. God is always with us.
As
believers, we have been united with Christ, and His Spirit lives within us.
4. Adversity can be a precious gift from the Lord.
Pain and
hardship are the instruments He often uses to correct our thinking, turn us
around, and guide us onto His path.
The Word
of God shows us how to walk through times of adversity.
It
reminds us of His love, tells us about His purposes for trials, encourages us
to endure, and strengthens us in the process.
One of
the primary reasons we struggle in adversity and give in to despair and
hopelessness is ignorance of the Scriptures.
The Lord
wants to help us through affliction, but we must open His Word to receive His
guidance, comfort, and assurance.
This article was originally published on February 21, 2016, and is adapted from the Sermon Notes for Dr. Stanley’s message “An Intimate Look at Adversity,” which airs this weekend on TV.
This article was originally published on February 21, 2016, and is adapted from the Sermon Notes for Dr. Stanley’s message “An Intimate Look at Adversity,” which airs this weekend on TV.
Charles F. Stanley is the founder
of In Touch Ministries and a New York Times best-selling author. As he says,
“It is the Word of God and the work of God that changes people’s lives.”
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