What is God telling you with the problems He permits in your
life?
The problems we face will defeat, define, or develop us
depending on how we respond to them. Unfortunately, most of us fail to see how
God wants to use problems for good in our lives. We react out of our flesh and
resent our problems, rather than seeking the Lord to learn His perfect will in
the situation. We never stop to consider what opportunities the situation
might bring, because we’re so focused on the problem and not what the Lord
is saying to us.
Here are some ways God wants to use the problems in our lives. See if any of them apply to you:
1. God uses problems to DIRECT us. Sometimes God must light a fire under us to get us moving from our place of complacency. Problems oftentimes point us in a new direction and motivate us to change. Is God using this problem to get your attention? Is He trying to tell you to let go and move onto something greater? Physical punishment cleanses away evil; such discipline purifies the heart. Prov. 20:30 (NLT)
2. God uses problems to INSPECT us. People are like tea bags. If you want to know what's inside us, just drop us into hot water! Our true character will be exposed. Is God testing your faith with this problem? If so, what is the problem revealing about you? Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. James 1:2-3 (NLT)
3. God uses problems to CORRECT us. Some of our most valuable lessons come from suffering through pain and failure. We were children our parents told us not to touch a hot stove. However, we probably learned not to touch the stove after being burned. Sometimes we only learn the value of something; be it health, money or a relationship, by losing it or being burned by it. My suffering was good for me, for it taught me to pay attention to your decrees. Your instructions are more valuable to me than millions in gold and silver. Psalm 119:71-72 (NLT)
4. God uses problems to PROTECT us. A problem can be a blessing in disguise if it prevents us from being harmed by something more serious. Before leaving your home one day; you overslept, spilled coffee on your clothes, kids wouldn’t get it together, and nothing is going the way it should. You say to yourself, “Why is all this happening today?” Then you get on the road and come across a terrible accident. You say to yourself, if you had left a few minutes earlier… Lord that could have been me. You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. Genesis 50:20 (NLT)
5. God uses problems to PERFECT us. Problems, when responded to correctly, are character builders. God is far more interested in our character, than our comfort. Our relationship to God and our character are the only two things we’re going to take with us into eternity. We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation Rom 5:3- 4 (NLT)
Here's the point: God is at work in our lives, even when we don’t recognize it or understand it. Things will progress much easier and profitable when we stop striving, and learn to cooperate with Him by asking the Lord to reveal His perfect will in our situation.
Here are some ways God wants to use the problems in our lives. See if any of them apply to you:
1. God uses problems to DIRECT us. Sometimes God must light a fire under us to get us moving from our place of complacency. Problems oftentimes point us in a new direction and motivate us to change. Is God using this problem to get your attention? Is He trying to tell you to let go and move onto something greater? Physical punishment cleanses away evil; such discipline purifies the heart. Prov. 20:30 (NLT)
2. God uses problems to INSPECT us. People are like tea bags. If you want to know what's inside us, just drop us into hot water! Our true character will be exposed. Is God testing your faith with this problem? If so, what is the problem revealing about you? Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. James 1:2-3 (NLT)
3. God uses problems to CORRECT us. Some of our most valuable lessons come from suffering through pain and failure. We were children our parents told us not to touch a hot stove. However, we probably learned not to touch the stove after being burned. Sometimes we only learn the value of something; be it health, money or a relationship, by losing it or being burned by it. My suffering was good for me, for it taught me to pay attention to your decrees. Your instructions are more valuable to me than millions in gold and silver. Psalm 119:71-72 (NLT)
4. God uses problems to PROTECT us. A problem can be a blessing in disguise if it prevents us from being harmed by something more serious. Before leaving your home one day; you overslept, spilled coffee on your clothes, kids wouldn’t get it together, and nothing is going the way it should. You say to yourself, “Why is all this happening today?” Then you get on the road and come across a terrible accident. You say to yourself, if you had left a few minutes earlier… Lord that could have been me. You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. Genesis 50:20 (NLT)
5. God uses problems to PERFECT us. Problems, when responded to correctly, are character builders. God is far more interested in our character, than our comfort. Our relationship to God and our character are the only two things we’re going to take with us into eternity. We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation Rom 5:3- 4 (NLT)
Here's the point: God is at work in our lives, even when we don’t recognize it or understand it. Things will progress much easier and profitable when we stop striving, and learn to cooperate with Him by asking the Lord to reveal His perfect will in our situation.
"YOU ARE BLESSED -- THERE'S NO NEED TO BE
STRESSED!"
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