Tag Archives: tough times

November 19, 2024 · 5:31 AM

No Shortcuts

Several years ago there was a college admissions scandal. Several rich, prominent families were paying people off in order to give their kids an unfair advantage in getting into colleges. A lot of famous people committed fraud doing this while paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribe money. What they didn’t understand was how they were setting their kids up for failure in life. By contrast, people like Kevin O’Leary and Warren Buffet have given their kids very little to help them in life. They have said that they don’t necessarily want their kids to inherit their wealth because they won’t have struggled to gain it. The struggle is where they learn to appreciate it and value it. They believe that taking financial struggles away from their kids will cripple them in the long run and destroy their character.

In the Bible, God used struggle and hardship as part of His process to strengthen people, develop character and to get people ready to lead. Joseph stands chief among them. When he was a teenager, God gave him dreams of what his future would hold. He shared them with his family and was a punk to his brothers. They resented him for his behavior and dreams, so they grabbed him, stripped him, and sold him as a slave. His favored status was gone and years of struggling ensued as he worked in Potiphar’s house and went to prison. While he was in prison and forgotten, God worked on his character. When he was ready, God redeemed him from the pit and placed him second in command to Pharaoh. When his brothers came seeking help, he didn’t take revenge. He recognized God’s hand in the struggle.

James 1:3-4 says, “For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing” (NLT). God has a process to grow you and place you. It isn’t an easy one. Don’t have the mindset of the people above who tried to shortcut the process. That ultimately affects your development and character. Trials and tests are part of the growth process. If you want to be complete, lacking nothing, you must submit to the process. It won’t be easy, but the strength you will gain will maximize your ability to reach the potential God placed in you. Instead of trying to use a shortcut, ask God for strength, wisdom and courage to endure. You can become the person God sees in you and be used for greater things.

Photo by Jason Hogan on Unsplash

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October 10, 2024 · 5:30 AM

Life In The Desert

In the mid 1990’s, I moved to Cairo, Egypt. As the plane landed, I looked out the window. I was shocked to see that there wasn’t any grass on the medians between the runway. On the drive to my new home, I was overwhelmed by the sea of monochromatic tan all around me. The Sahara Desert was my first culture shock having lived in a lush green area of East Texas my whole life. However, over time, I grew used to living in the desert and the lack of green vegetation. Then, early the year after I moved there, I decided to take a bus to Israel. We drove for hours through the desert until we came to the border. As I got out to walk across, I saw the strangest thing ever. All along the border there was a line of grass and flowers in the middle of this desert and it extended into Israel. It was an incredible sight to see life growing in the middle of a barren land.

The reason deserts lack life is because they lack water. Over 90% of Egyptians live along the Nile river because that’s the on,y way they can sustain life. Sure, there are people who live in the desert, but life is better and more easily sustained where there is water. Even along the Nile, I hadn’t seen what I saw at the border that day. Things were thriving at the border. It reminded me that God is able to do the impossible. He can grow life in the middle of nowhere and in the harshest environments. He is able to take our roughest, driest patches in life and spring up new life. He is able to take what looks like an end and create a new beginning. The desert we’re temporarily living in has the potential for life.

In Isaiah 43:18-19 God says, “Do not remember the former things, Or ponder the things of the past. Listen carefully, I am about to do a new thing, Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even put a road in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert” (AMP). I believe God is still speaking to us through these verses. The desert you’ve been in is about to burst forth with life. It starts with us forgetting the things of the past that led us into the desert. We need to focus our attention on what God is doing right now in this dry season. He’s creating a pathway forward for you and bringing a river of life to your situation. What has been a barren time for you is about to be teeming with life. God does not abandon us in the desert and He’s able to make a way where there seems to be no way. Trust in Him, don’t lean on your own understanding, acknowledge what He’s doing and He will direct your path through this time (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Photo by Dylan Shaw 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.

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October 9, 2024 · 5:29 AM

Go To The King

The Bible says that it rains on the just and the unjust alike. Jesus told us that in this world we w have trouble. There’s no escaping it. So what do you do when trouble comes? I’ve seen people circle the wagons and close themselves off from everyone else while they go through it. I’ve seen people get bitter towards God and leave the church. I’ve seen people crumble under the pressure. I’ve also seen people who reach out to get a prayer chain going. I’ve also seen people whose faith deepened during the hardest times. Pressure does different things to different people. One thing for sure is that it exposes the depth of what a person believes. When hard times come, our actions outweigh anything we’ve ever said.

In Esther 5, Haman had convinced the king to send out a decree to destroy the Jews who were living among his people. He was mad that Mordecai didn’t bow every time he went by. When the decree went out, Mordecai read it and tore his clothes in grief. He then took ashes and smeared them on his body to show he was in morning. He put on sackcloth, which was uncomfortable, to show he was in distress. Then, the most important thing he did was go to the king’s gate. He knew that only the king could reverse the order so he went there. When word got to Esther, she sent new clothes, but he refused and sent word of what was going on. He asked her to risk her life by going to the king to intercede for her people. She called for a fast and went to the king to save her people.

Hebrews 4:16 says, “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most” (NLT). We need to be like Mordecai and Esther when we are hit with hard times. We must go to the King. We don’t have to be afraid like Esther. We can approach Him boldly and lay down our cares and burdens at His feet. We will receive mercy as He sees what we’re going through. We will also receive grace that is sufficient for the hardship we’re going through. It’s in our weakness that His strength is made perfect in us. Instead of running from God, we must run to the king who will give us everything we need when we need it most.

Photo by Ivan Aleksic on Unsplash

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March 27, 2024 · 5:43 AM

Perception Isn’t Reality

I love rollercoasters, but I don’t like the 3D / 4D rides. After waiting in line for Avatar at Disney World, they handed us 3D glasses before going on the ride. I straddled a motorcycle type seat and looked at the IMAX style screen. When the ride started, it showed that we were flying on a banshee. The seat between my legs inflated and deflated to make me feel like the banshee was breathing. The ride tilted and moved along with the flight video to give the sensation of flying. When we flew by the ocean, we could feel a mist on our faces. Then we flew into a cave and you could smell the dampness. As the banshee returned to flight and dove down behind a pack of water buffaloes, my stomach felt like it was in my throat. Then a water buffalo jumped back and we all flinched. While my mind and body were fooled into believing all these things, we never left the area we started in. It fooled our perception of reality.

On Wednesday of Holy Week, the Bible doesn’t say what happened. Some people refer to it as Silent Wednesday. However, God is never silent. We only perceive Him to be at times. Those times often come when it feels like we need Him most. We cry out, but hear a deafening silence back. Oswald Chambers wrote, “When you cannot hear God, you will find that He has trusted you in the most intimate way possible – with absolute silence, not a silence of despair, but one of pleasure, because He saw you could withstand an even bigger revelation.” It takes a lot of faith to keep walking in the silence. In those moments, we have to trust the promises more than our perception. We must lean into His all sufficient grace for strength because the silence can be overwhelming.

Proverbs 3:5 reminds us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Never rely on what you think you know” (GNT). Remember that perception is not always reality. We are easily fooled and our feelings like to manipulate our emotions and what we think we know. Yet perception can fool us. That’s why we can’t lean on, rely on or always believe what our perception is telling us. We can however, trust in the Lord with all of our heart. We can trust in His character over the silence we experience. He has never left us or abandoned us, nor will He ever. In the silence we experience a greater grace and revelation from God than is ever possible when we feel and experience His presence. Will you keep walking and trusting in the silence or will you give in to the perception that God has left you alone? Trust in Him with all your heart. You will hear His voice again. You will experience His presence again. He has not left you alone. He is still standing in the struggle with you.

Photo by Štefan Štefančík on Unsplash

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June 21, 2023 · 5:25 AM

Conditioning

When I was in high school I played basketball. I loved being on the team, but I always hated the start of the season. I’m not talking about the first few games though. When we were allowed to start practicing, coach would spend the first few weeks conditioning our bodies and getting us back into shape. We ran sprints, horses, long distances, did calisthenics, jumped over benches and more exercises. I don’t remember touching a basketball those first few weeks. It was painful and my body was sore. I spent a lot of time soaking in epsom salt trying to recover. However, once the season started, we were better conditioned than any team and could out run them and wear them out giving us lots of victories. It turns out coach had a plan the whole time.

We read the story of Joseph in the late chapters of Genesis. When he was just a teenager, God gave him dreams that his family would now down to him. Foolishly, he told his brothers all about them. Being the younger brother, he probably rubbed it in while wearing the special coat his dad made for him. It’s clear that he wasn’t ready to lead at that time. His brothers then decided to kill him, but sold him into slavery instead. He was then falsely accused of trying to rape his master’s wife and thrown in prison where he was forgotten. He went through this period of conditioning for 13 years before God exalted him to be second in command of Egypt. When he ruled Egypt, we see a very different person because of what he went through.

Psalm 66:12 says, “You’ve allowed our enemies to prevail against us. We’ve passed through fire and flood, yet in the end you always bring us out better than we were before, saturated with your goodness” (TPT). God allows us to go through storms and difficult times in order to condition us for the plans He has for us. His plans are good, but we are often not ready to fulfill them yet. In His processes, we are changed for the better and made ready to receive His promises. If you’re going through a tough time right now, hang in there. God is building your endurance and your character so that you’re able to handle what’s coming and help others. Conditioning doesn’t last forever. Victory is on the way.

Photo by Alex McCarthy on Unsplash

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April 13, 2023 · 5:30 AM

The Perspective Problem

I love those photos where a person holds their hand out flat and the photographer adjusts to make it look like they’re holding the Eiffel Tower in their hand. I’ve seen it done with just about every landmark. The photos take advantage of perspective. The person is close to the camera while the giant object they’re “holding” is further away. Of course, if the two were right next to each other, you’d see just how large the Eiffel Tower is in comparison. While comparison like this in a photo is fun, when we get things in our life out of perspective, it can be dangerous.

Every one of us will go through difficult times. No one is exempt from trouble or the storms of life. What makes the difference is your perspective. When we go through difficult times, it can feel like God is far away and that He doesn’t care, while our troubles are in our face. In those moments, troubles can seem larger than God. We tend to view God Through the lens of our problems instead of viewing our problems through the lens of God. If we’re going to withstand the storms, we have to learn to change the perspective from which we view them.

Proverbs 10:25 says, “When the storms of life come, the wicked are whirled away, but the godly have a lasting foundation” (NLT). You and I must have a strong foundation of faith to withstand the storms of life. That foundation will help us keep our problems in their proper perspective. God’s desire for each of us is to trust Him no matter what comes. Problems, even when they’re relentless, should build our faith rather than tear it down. Stand firm on the foundation of God’s Word and His character. When you put your problems next to God, you’ll see how big He is in comparison. It’s time to tell your storms how big your God is.

Photo courtesy of Vincent Lock

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.

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March 2, 2023 · 5:30 AM

Putting Out Fires

When I was a young boy, I learned how to build a fire. I was so excited that I wanted to show my friend. We went into the woods behind his house, gathered wood up and then I built a magnificent fire. What I didn’t know yet was how to put a fire out. We decided to smother it…with hay. That worked great…for a few seconds. Before too long, the fire was getting out of hand. We ran back into his house, past his mom, to get his brother who was two years older than us. We tried again to put it out, but couldn’t. A neighbor saw the smoke and called the fire department. They showed up and got it under control, but not before about an acre was burned.

I tell you that story because so many times we’ve set fire to things in our lives and things are being consumed by it. Every time we try to put it out, it only makes things worse. From the time we are little, we are taught to be independent, to suck it up and to handle our own business. What we forget is that we have a helper who can put out the fires in our lives, but we’re too busy trying to put them out ourselves. Like scared children, we don’t go to the One who can truly help. We go to others to help us, but they can’t resolve the problems we’re facing. All the while, God is there waiting on us to cry out to Him for help.

Psalm 50:15 says, “Honor me by trusting in me in your day of trouble. Cry aloud to me, and I will be there to rescue you” (TPT). God should not be our last resort when things aren’t going right. He deserves and wants to be our first call. He’s more than able to resolve whatever you’re going through, but you must call out to Him and trust Him. If you’re so caught up in what’s going wrong and you don’t have the strength to pray yourself, call on a friend to pray for you. You don’t have to fight the fires in your life by yourself. You have a Heavenly Father who loves you and wants to rescue you.

Photo by Joanne Francis 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.

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October 14, 2021 · 5:30 AM

Hard Knocks University

When people ask where I went to school, I often say, “Hard Knocks University.” For the longest time, it seemed that life kept knocking me down. No matter what I did, I couldn’t gain ground. In fact, it felt like the bottom kept falling out from underneath me. I learned that the only way to fail Hard Knocks University is to quit. I also learned that the only way to graduate was to get closer to God. The troubles we face in life can either make us bitter or better. We get to choose by how we respond when we keep getting knocked down.

For me, I let it push me closer to God. I found myself praying more asking God for the wisdom to make better decisions. I also started reading the Bible more. I knew there were principles in it that could help with the things I was facing, so I began to consume the Bible looking for answers. What I got was a deeper relationship with God and the promise that He wouldn’t abandon me in my troubles. I began to put my focus on Him instead of my problems, and then I began telling my problems about Him instead of the other way around.

The Psalmist must have graduated Hard Knocks University too. Psalm 119:71 says, “My troubles turned out for the best – they forced me to learn your textbook” (MSG). If you’re in the toughest school around, let it draw you closer to God and His textbook. He probably won’t take the troubles away as quick as you like, but you are guaranteed that He will walk through them with you. Failure can’t be an option, and you don’t want to keep taking the same course. If you want to graduate, you’re going to have to read the textbook. I recommend you start with a chapter in Proverbs each day to get the wisdom you need.

Photo by Debby Hudson 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.

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November 14, 2016 · 5:00 AM

Under The Press


As many of you know, I went back to Israel this past summer. One of the most visited places in Jerusalem has to be the Garden of Gethsemane. It’s filled with Olive trees as pictured here. On this trip, I discovered that the name Gethsemane means the olive press. We got to see an olive press to understand how it crushes the olives to make oil. That first pressing of the Olive is holy and belongs to God. I think that’s important to know when considering what happened there the night before Jesus was crucified. 

Matthew 26 tells us that Jesus went there with the disciples and that grief and anguish came over Him. In verse 38, Jesus said, “The sorrow in my heart is so great that it almost crushes me” (GNT). He was being pressed like an olive in that moment. His prayer in the next verse is what I want to focus on today. He prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, take this cup of suffering from me! Yet not what I want, but what you want.” 

Each of us have times in our lives when we are being crushed by problems and things going on. Just like Jesus, our first instinct is to pray, “Father, if it’s possible, get me out of this!” We cry and we pray for God to help us. But what if God wants to use that time to create a holy offering in your life? What if He is allowing you to be crushed so what’s inside comes out? I’m sure the olives in the press don’t appreciate the stone mill rolling over them, but what comes out is more useful than just the olive by itself.

Jesus understood this. That’s why His next breath was, “Yet not what I want, but what you want.” Instead of praying for God to get us out of the press, ask God that His will be done instead of ours. James 1:12 says, “Happy are those who remain faithful under trials, because when they succeed in passing such a test, they will receive as their reward the life which God has promised to those who love him.” Remaining under the press, like Jesus did, is the way to receive the life God promises us. 

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July 25, 2014 · 8:05 AM

Is It Well?

It’s Free Friday! Today is the day you let go of the things in your life that keep you down or hold you back from all God has for you. To celebrate, I’m giving away a copy of “It Is Well” by Mark Dever and Michael Lawrence. Keep reading to find out how to enter.

I was 23 when my mom passed away from cancer. I remember praying every day for her. There were no social media sites around to get tons of people to pray, but there were email lists. I sent emails to everyone on my list asking them to pray for her. I had faith that God would heal her. As I was going about my business at work one day, I answered the phone. My brother told me to get home as quickly as possible. In a panic I began trying to hurry things along. I then realized I hadn’t hung up. I held the phone to my ear to see if he was still on the line. I heard my dad say, “Don’t kill yourself getting here, son. She’s already gone.”

A day or so later, I sat down to write an email to all those who were praying. As I wondered what to write, the words of an old hymn came to my mind. “When peace like a river attendeth my way. When sorrows like sea billows roll. Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, ‘It is well.'” I began to write to the people who had prayed so diligently to thank them for their prayers. I let them know that she had passed, but also that it was well with my soul. As much as I wanted her to be healed, I understood that God’s reasons were better than my own.

We each have a choice when something we really, desperately want to happen doesn’t. We can choose to be bitter at God over it or we can choose to say, “It is well.” It doesn’t mean that I agree with the decision that God made. It simply says, “I trust you, God even when I don’t agree.” We somehow think that our selfish desires are more important than His holy plan for the world. We argue, scream and fight with Him when things don’t go our way. We sometimes see it as Him attacking us or mocking us, but it’s the farthest thing from it. He sees the whole picture from eternity’s perspective. I see a pixel of it from a moment’s perspective.

I don’t know why God does what He does. I don’t know why things happen that hurt us. I simply know that nothing happens in my life without Him knowing about it. He knows what I need to go through today to prepare me to be the person He needs me to be tomorrow. He knows what I need to go through now so I can help someone in the future. I can get through my grief. I can rise from the ashes of a life that has been burned to the ground. I can rebuild what has been torn down. With that in mind, I can find the courage to say, “It is well.”

If you would like to win “It Is Well” by Mark Dever and Michael Lawrence, go to the Devotions By Chris Facebook page here and “like” it. I will randomly pick one person tomorrow (July 26, 2014) who has liked my page. If you have already “liked” my page, you are already entered for this drawing. I would appreciate it if you would invite your friends to like my page so they can receive encouragement from God’s Word too.

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