Tag Archives: difficult times

January 29, 2024 · 5:36 AM

The Rough Road

One of the things I hear a lot of people say when they go through a tough time is that they must not be in God’s will. God’s path for our lives isn’t always the easy one. Tough times doesn’t mean you have angered God or turned His wrath toward you. There are times He takes us through the sunless valley of the shadow of death. There are times when the road He takes you down is in the wilderness where you feel like you can’t feel Him or through waters that are too deep and it feels like you’re drowning. If He always took you through green pastures, your faith would never grow. The rough roads are where we learn to trust Him even when we can’t feel Him.

In the book of Exodus, God displays His mighty power for both the Egyptians and Israelites to see. He then set them free from their captor and immediately led them into the desert. Not long after, they felt cornered at the Red Sea with Pharaoh’s army pinning them down. Were they out of God’s will? No. God protected them from the army and then parted the water. The road then

led them through the wilderness where they experienced hunger and thirst. Even though they experienced hardship, they were still in His will and on His path. Remember, He provided manna there, brought water from the rock, led them with a cloud by day and a fire by night. Their clothes and shoes also never wore out. In the wilderness, God was still providing for them as He led them to the Promised Land.

Psalm 77:19 says, ”Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen“ (ESV). God’s way is always the best way, but it’s not always the easy way or the quickest. He cares more about your growth than your comfort. When we go through deep waters where we can’t see His footprints to lead us, it causes our roots to grow deeper in Him. It causes us to spend more time in prayer and our faith finds a new level. The times in our lives when we draw closest to God are usually times where we feel like we’re going under and can’t breathe. You are not necessarily off His path or out of His will when you experience these things. Don’t look for blame in these moments. Instead, look for His presence. He is there leading you, guarding you and providing for you when the road gets rough. Your Promised Land is just ahead.

Photo by Brian Wangenheim on Unsplash

1 Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

January 24, 2024 · 5:39 AM

Receiving Strength

How do you react to stress? Are you the type who breaks down and bites everyone’s head off? Does it make you quiet or cause you to break down? We all react to stressful situations differently. What do you do when you look at everything and the odds are against you? Some people shut down while others rise to the challenge. Some look at the situation and feel fearful while others experience peace. When we’re in those situations, especially ones where we’re doing what God called us to, we can face them with courage and the strength that God gives. Fear comes from thinking we have to do it all in our own strength.

In Joshua 1, Moses had died and the mantle of his leadership over these millions of people fell to him. He was tasked with leading them into the Promised Land and fighting the people who lived there. It must have felt overwhelming to him to think of all he had to do and what he was responsible for. He had seen the giants and the walled cities, but he also saw the goodness the land would provide. He was one of two who trusted God to give them the land under the leadership of Moses. Now it was his responsibility to lead. That’s when God met him and reassured him that He would be with him just as He was with Moses. Then in verse 9 He said, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not be terrified or dismayed (intimidated), for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (AMP).

In John 14, Jesus was passing the mantle of leadership to the disciples just before His crucifixion. He could sense their stress, fear and hesitation. In verse 27 He told them, “Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. [Let My perfect peace calm you in every circumstance and give you courage and strength for every challenge.]” Whatever you’re facing, you don’t have to do it in your own strength or courage. God gives peace as we face insurmountable odds. He also gives us grace, strength and courage to stand in those moments. He will give you what you need in those moments, but you have to be willing to cross the river, walk up to the walled cities in front of you and face the giants. Receive His peace, strength and courage today.

Photo by Vasiliy Skuratov on Unsplash

2 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

January 16, 2024 · 5:30 AM

A Foundation Of Grace

Growing up on the Gulf Coast I’ve seen first hand the impact storms and hurricanes have had on homes and buildings. Hurricane Andrew hit the Bahamas and Florida in 1992 as a Category Five. It was the most destructive hurricane to ever hit Florida destroying homes and buildings. It was also the most costly for about 25 years. Afterwards, people changed how they built their houses. One of the biggest construction changes made was to the load path of the structure. They began to build them so that when the high winds came, it directed the wind loads on the roof and walls down to the foundation. A strong foundation can help a building endure just about any storm when the load is directed to it. Without this change, storms could wipe outa building leaving the foundation in tact.

Paul endured many real storms in his life and metaphorical ones too. His life was built on the Word of God and had a load path that directed life’s stresses to his foundation. In 2 Corinthians 12 he mentions a thorn in his flesh that was a messenger from Satan to torment him. He asked God to take away this storm, but He didn’t. God wanted to teach Paul how to direct the tension to his foundation. Jesus said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness” (NLT). From then on, Paul began to be glad about his own weaknesses because it wasn’t up to him or his strength to withstand the storm. He learned how to trust God in his weakness by relying on the firm foundation of grace.

Proverbs 10:25 says, “When the storms of life come, the wicked are whirled away, but the godly have a lasting foundation.” Have you been relying on your own strength to endure or have you been directing everything to your foundation? I’ve personally tried it both ways. In one instance, I lost everything but the foundation. However, when I let God rebuild my life, I learned to trust in Him and direct everything to the source of strength in my life. Having a form foundation or a life built on God’s Word doesn’t exempt you from storms. It simply helps you weather them. When the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy everything in your life, you can still be standing because your foundation is firm and you trust in God to help you endure. His strength is perfect and His grace is sufficient for whatever storm you’re facing.

Photo by Zoltan Tasi on Unsplash

1 Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

January 4, 2024 · 5:30 AM

Daily Disciplines

I’ve watched the movie “Greater” a couple of times. It’s the faith based story of Brandon Burlsworth who is considered the greatest walk-on in college football history. He had everything working against him, but he persisted. One coach told him since he didn’t have talent, he was going to have to work harder than anyone else. He was first to show up and last to leave. At one point, he got a new coach and the coach found him practicing his footwork when the practice field was closed. The coach asked him if his previous coaches let him do that. Brandon replied that they never knew he did it. The coach said, “Well, they say character is what you do when no one’s looking.” Brandon quickly replied, “Someone’s always looking.”

In Paul’s second letter to the Corinthian church, he was reminding them that they were going to go through hard times. In chapter 6, let them know that how they respond matters. Verse 4 says, “Our work as God’s servants gets validated—or not—in the details. People are watching us as we stay at our post, alertly, unswervingly… in hard times, tough times, bad times” (MSG). That phrase, “gets validated – or not – in the details” jumped off the page at me. In hard times, it’s more important than ever to focus on the details of our spiritual growth. We must continue to read and study God’s Word, spend time in prayer and fasting, share our faith and put into practice what we know. It’s those daily disciplines that help us to stay our post when times get tough.

Brandon Burlsworth was only able to achieve what he did because he continued with his daily disciplines no matter what. It’s easy to make excuses right now and to slack off on our relationship with Christ, but now is the time we need to go deeper in that relationship. People are watching how you and I respond to difficult times. Are we rising to the challenge or are we succumbing? We must stay at our post, stronger than ever, giving people hope and pointing them to the One who gives peace in troubled times. Our work – our faith – gets validated in the daily details and is exposed under pressure. I believe God is calling us into a deeper relationship with Him than ever before. The way to that relationship and spiritual maturity is in the details of your daily spiritual disciplines.

Photo by Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash

Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

December 14, 2023 · 5:30 AM

Getting In The Wheelbarrow

I like to tell people that you will always act on what you truly believe, especially when you’re under pressure. It’s easy to say you believe something, but the proof comes when stress is applied. There’s a story of a man named Charles Blonden who famously put out a tightrope across Niagara Falls. He crossed it several times using different methods like stilts, backwards, blindfolded, carrying a stove and cooking on it. One time he pushed a wheelbarrow across it. When he arrived on the other side, the crowd applauded. He then asked who believed he could push someone in that wheelbarrow across the tightrope. Everyone cheered agreeing that he could. He then asked for a volunteer from the cheering crowd. The crowd fell silent and no one volunteered. Later his manager Harry Colcord did ride across on his back.

It’s easy to say we believe something until we have to get I to the wheelbarrow. In the Old Testament, God asked Abraham to take his only son to the land of Moriah and offer him as a sacrifice (Genesis 22). This was a faith testing moment. God had already told him that through Isaac he would have many descendants. He took Isaac to the mountain anyway because He truly believed God. David’s faith was tested too. He had been anointed king, but God delayed in that promise. He had several opportunities to kill Saul, the current king, but he trusted God’s timing instead. Many opportunities presented themselves, but he passed on them all as he waited for God’s perfect timing.

Testing is part of God’s means of proving our faith just like He did for those in the Bible. If He tested them, He’ll test us. 1 Peter 1:7 says, “Their purpose is to prove that your faith is genuine. Even gold, which can be destroyed, is tested by fire; and so your faith, which is much more precious than gold, must also be tested, so that it may endure. Then you will receive praise and glory and honor on the Day when Jesus Christ is revealed” (GNT). Testing purifies and solidifies our faith. Don’t back down from what you believe when hard times come or when you’re called out on it. Get in the wheelbarrow and trust God to carry you across Niagara’s Falls. He’s proven time and time again He’s able to, but it’s up to us to trust Him enough to get in.

Photo by Sergey Pesterev on Unsplash

Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , ,

November 7, 2023 · 5:43 AM

Opportunities To Grow

Every winter I prune back my crepe myrtle trees so they will grow tall and bloom in the spring. While I’m cutting back the branches, I wonder if they think I’m not a good caretaker because of the pain they’re going through. I wonder if they think that I don’t care what happens to them because they’re going through so much loss. Then I start to wonder why we do that to God. When things aren’t going right, when things cause us pain and when we suffer loss we wonder if God is good. We wonder if He even cares about us or sees the pain we’re experiencing. I’ve laid on the floor weeping in my most painful moments asking God to intervene when in fact He was. I couldn’t see it at the time, but He was pruning my life so I could grow and bloom like never before.

There are two stories in Mark that always get my attention. In Mark 4, Jesus and the disciples get in a boat to cross the Sea of Galilee. A crazy storm erupts and the boat starts to sink. They realize Jesus is sleeping in the hull and wake Him. They said, “Don’t you care that we are about to die?” (GNT) Jesus, knowing they weren’t in real danger called the storm. Then a couple chapters Jesus told the disciples to cross the sea and He’d meet them. Another storm arose and threatened to sink the boat. Jesus then walked on the water. Mark 6:48 said it looked like He was going to pass them by. They were afraid and called out to Him. When He entered the boat, the storm stopped. In both of these instances, in both instances He tested their faith and used the opportunities to grow their trust in Him.

Psalm 23:4 says, “Even if I go through the deepest darkness, I will not be afraid, Lord, for you are with me. Your shepherd’s rod and staff protect me.” Just be a you’re a Christian m it doesn’t mean you aren’t going to walk through dark valleys. It doesn’t mean you aren’t going to experience loss or pain. What it does mean is that you will get to experience the grace of God when you need it most. He will be there with you in the darkness with His rod and staff even when you can’t see Him or feel Him. He works everything (every situation) out for your good. He is for you and will use every situation and opportunity to grow you. What the enemy intends for evil and destruction in your life, God uses as a place of growth. When the enemy tries to close the book on you, God starts a new chapter of hope. Don’t give up in the darkest of valleys. Let your faith arise because God is there and is doing something for your good giving you opportunities to grow.

Photo by Chris Buckwald on Unsplash

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

September 13, 2023 · 5:37 AM

Understanding Later

As a parent, you often have to make hard choices for your kids. There may be certain music you won’t let them listen to or movies you won’t let them watch. There are games you prevent them from playing that all their friends are playing. It could be a party or get together that you keep them home from. You’re doing it for their good and their future, but many times they don’t understand. They accuse you of all kinds of things when you make tough decisions. You hope that one day they will understand and appreciate what you did for them even though it was uncomfortable at the time.

I’m sure Joseph didn’t understand when he was attacked by his brothers, sold into slavery and put in prison in a foreign country. At the end of the story we see that all his troubles were about maturing him and putting him in position to save his family. His great grandfather faced some difficulties as well. Abraham was asked to move away from his family and the life he had always known. He wasn’t even sure where he was headed until he got there. God’s promise to him was 25 years slow in the making as well. Because he obeyed and was uncomfortable during a season, he was able to see and live in the land God would give his descendants. All throughout the Bible we see where God asked people to do uncomfortable things without them understanding in the moment. He was asking them to trust Him with their future.

In John 13, Jesus and the disciples were in the room about to have the Passover dinner when Jesus put on an apron, got a bowl of water and began washing their feet. Peter protested and didn’t want the Messiah to do such a lowly task. In verse 7 Jesus replied, “You do not understand now what I am doing, but you will understand later” (GNT). We usually don’t understand much of what God does for us in the moment. It’s often uncomfortable or even painful, but He has a plan. In every case where I went through difficult situations and I look back on it years later, I can see the hand of God protecting me, positioning me and growing my faith. If you’re there now, trust His plan and know that while you do not understand now what He’s doing, you will later on in this life or the next.

Photo by ROB WILSON on Unsplash

2 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

August 14, 2023 · 5:45 AM

Trusting God’s Voice

When you’re going through a difficult time, there are a lot of voices that will try to direct you. Some will be the cliché voices that feel very patronizing and insincere. Some will express confidence in you and tell you that you can make it through. Some will tell you to trust God and that they are praying for you. Then there are the voices of doubt that sneak in wondering where God is in the situation and why hasn’t He shown up. You get to hear them all, but which do you entertain? Which voices do you allow to echo in your mind? The longer it goes on, the louder the voices of doubt and anger seem to grow. It can be difficult to maintain your trust in God the more dire the situation gets, but you must keep trusting Him and His plan no matter how hard things get.

In 2 Kings 18 the Assyrian army had besieged Jerusalem even though King Hezekiah had paid money for them to leave Israel alone. The king sent his commander in chief to talk to the officials about surrendering since they were controlling the water flow into the city. In verse 19 – 20 he said, “This is what the great king of Assyria says: What are you trusting in that makes you so confident? Do you think that mere words can substitute for military skill and strength? Who are you counting on, that you have rebelled against me?” (NLT). He spoke in Hebrew so all the people could hear and be afraid. He wanted them to lose heart and quit trusting in God, but Hezekiah didn’t listen to that voice. He sought out a prophet to speak to him on behalf of God. He kept his faith and God did the impossible in the most dire of circumstances because he continued to trust God.

In 2 Corinthians, the Church was under attack. They were being persecuted for their faith. The different voices were coming in and trying to take their focus off God. In 2 Corinthians 5:7 Paul reminded them, “For we live by believing and not by seeing.” Our trust is in God whom we can’t see, not in the circumstances we can see. It’s hard to keep our eyes on Jesus when the voices tell us God doesn’t care and that He has abandoned us to fight this alone. I’ve heard those voices. They’re very loud at times, but we must keep directing ourselves back to the Bible. It is God’s Word to us. Faith comes by hearing it so read it out loud. Make it the voice you hear above all the others. Let God’s words be the ones to build your faith and keep your eyes on Him despite what your circumstances are showing you and the voices are telling you. God is there even though you can’t see Him working or feel Him. He’s working all things out for your good. Trust His voice above all others.

Photo by Eliecer Gallegos on Unsplash

2 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , ,

August 9, 2023 · 5:46 AM

Giving Comfort

Not long after I started writing devotions, I had an idea to start an online support group. The plan was to write six papers detailing the journey I went through from divorce to bankruptcy to making it through. I found about ten people who were going through similar struggles and were willing to join an online community. My plan was to help them through their darkest time. However, a few weeks in, one of the participants said, “I’m glad you made it through your situation, but I’m more interested in how you did it than the story of what you went through. I need to know how to get through this.” It was great feedback, but I really didn’t have an answer at the time. I became discouraged with the idea and never moved forward with it. When I finally thought of practical things I did, I began to help people individually through their pain.

In 2 Corinthians 1:8, Paul shared a story of intense attacks against his ministry and the work he was trying to do. He said he was crushed and overwhelmed beyond his ability to endure. In fact, he thought he was going to die. It was during that time that he learned to rely on God’s strength, protection and provision instead of his own. That’s when God rescued him and he got the faith to trust God in the most difficult of circumstances. He wanted the church in Corinth and us to know his story so that we would be encouraged and learn to rely on God during our toughest times. He went on to say that what he learned we should do is to quit relying on our own strength and to seek people who will pray over us in those times and God will rescue us to.

In verse 4, he tells us, “He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us” (NLT). The pain and struggles you go through have a multifaceted purpose. They’re to get you to rely and trust in God and they’re to get you to help others in their time of trouble. Remember that we overcome by the blood of the Lamb and our testimony. Don’t keep your story to yourself. People need to know that you made it through and how you made it through. Your testimony will bring comfort in the middle of pain. It will bring hope in a hopeless situation. It will provide direction when they can’t see a way out. Don’t allow the enemy to keep you quiet. People need the comfort and hope of your story. Their story may not be exactly identical to yours, but the pain and process are. Start looking for someone to share your story with. God is ready to use you to bring comfort.

Photo by Korney Violin on Unsplash

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

July 11, 2023 · 5:43 AM

Water In The Wilderness

When I was young, I loved the poem “Footprints In The Sand”. It tells of a person looking back on their life and seeing two sets of footprints. In the hardest times, there was only one set in the sand. They questioned why the Lord would leave them during the hardest times, but He replied that there was one because He carried them. Having been through some difficult times, I’ve learned that God doesn’t carry us in those times. I’ve also learned that it is normal to feel alone and even abandoned by God when we’re in the wilderness. What I do like in the poem is the idea of reflecting on the past. When we look back at the hardest times, we can see we were never abandoned by God, nor were we alone. He often uses those times to draw us close and even shows up in unexpected ways to meet our needs. The wilderness is often the path to growth.

In 1 Kings 19, the prophet Elijah had literally had a mountain top experience. God had met him on Mount Carmel and sent fire from Heaven to burn his sacrifice. Israel began to turn from their false gods to serve the Lord. However, Jezebel wasn’t happy and wanted to kill him for it. His fear led him into the wilderness where depression took over. He wanted to die and felt alone. While he was sleeping an angel brought him food and water. He rested and the angel brought more. From there, he continued deeper into the wilderness and stayed in a cave where it was dark. Again God called to him and asked him what he was doing. He gave God a sob story about how bad his life was. God then called him out of the cave in the wilderness where he saw an mighty wind, an earthquake and a fire. All great signs, but God wasn’t in them. Then there was a still, small voice that God was in. Elijah found God in the smallest of moments in the wilderness rather than in big ones.

Isaiah 35:4-6 says, “Tell everyone who is discouraged, ‘Be strong and don’t be afraid! God is coming to your rescue, coming to punish your enemies.’ The blind will be able to see, and the deaf will hear. The lame will leap and dance, and those who cannot speak will shout for joy. Streams of water will flow through the desert” (GNT). If you’re in the wilderness right now wondering where God is, He is on the way to rescue you! He will cause stress to flow in your difficult time and make it a place of growth. You may be struggling to see Him now or even feel Him, but He is there caring for you and leading you through this time. When you look back at this period you will see how the still, small voice led you to a place of abundance. You are not forgotten. You are not forsaken. You are not alone. There is water in your wilderness.

Photo by Alex He on Unsplash

2 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,