Overcoming the Trials of Life
Cheryl Debose
At our Bible Study recently, as we were ministering to one of our dear friends, Carol Martin said to her:
Be humble.
Be confident.
Be prepared.
I thought to myself, "those are powerful words; those are words that other Aglow women need to hear." So, here we are.
Be humble.
The word humble is defined as to make meek or gentle and kind. Our culture values pride, being the best, and the greatest. And as such, the concepts of meekness and humilty have received a "bad rap". The world equates meekness and humilty with being a "doormat". Not so! In the Kingdom of God, to be humble and meek means to demonstrate self control even when we are mistreated. Please don't misunderstand me, I do not advocate that we allow others to mistreat us. But when we are mistreated, our response is different from the worldly response. We maintain our poise; we remain cool. We stand up for ourselves but not at the expense of anyone's dignity, including our own. We state our case directly and clearly with the goal of understanding as we seek to be understood. Matt. 5:5 says, "Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth". We overcome evil with good. To be humble also means saying yes to God who always has the right plan at the right time; and the right time is always His time.
Be confident.
To be confident means to walk without fear. It implies boldness and courage. The Word of God has much to say about fear, i.e. Do Not Fear! Confidence also implies faith. Believe that the Word of God is true and that He cannot lie and He cannot fail. You may not believe you are able but believe in the God in you who can do all things.
Isaiah 41:9-10 says: I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners, I have called you. I said "You are my servant; I have chosen you and I have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God." So I ask you, from where did the Lord call you? Were you in "Egypt"? Were you in bondage to some besetting sin? Did He heal your mind, your emotions, your body? Did He deliver you? He has called you, He has chosen you, so fear has no place in your life. We all know the story of Joshua. Joshua was probably terrified at the thought of replacing Moses. moses was a leader like none other. The Bible says in
Deut. 34:10: "Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses whom the Lord knew face to face." Who could replace Moses? I'm sure Joshua felt inadequate to say the least. But look at what God said to Joshua in Josh 1: Moses my servant is dead...As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous because you will lead these people.... Be strong and very courageous...have I not commanded you? Be strong and very courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged...
How many times did God command Joshua to "Be strong and courageous? I heard a pastor say that if God says something to you more than once, you need to make haste to obey. Read Joshua 1 and then read it again. Hear the Lord speaking to you about your circumstances. Be strong and very courageous. Be the confident, bold, courageous woman of God he has called you to be - the one he calls His good and faithful servant.
Be prepared.
Every time we step out into the world to do something for the Kingdom of God, our enemy sets us in his sights. Recently, in our bible study, we have learned that the anointing guarantees opposition. The enemy will use as many people as are willing to prevent us from completing our divine assignments. But God is greater. God wants us to be prepared and He has given us "weapons as we fight". Read Eph 6:10-18, a very familiar passage of scripture. The Word says in v. 13...put on the full armor of God so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground and after you have done everything, to stand. Notice it says when the day of evil comes, not if. Dear sisters, the day of evil will come but we have weapons! What are they? Truth. Righteousness. Faith. Salvation. The Word.
We also have prayer. Let's not ever discount the tremendous power we have when we come boldly before the throne of grace. Pray in the Spirit often and watch God move in your life. Watch how He changes your attitude. Watch Him move in your circumstances to bring about His righteousness. See your faith rise. Start a prayer journal and keep track of your own personal transformation, as God brings you from glory to glory. It will be quite the journey. Pray and ask the Lord to give you the gifts of the Spirit outlines in Isaiah 11:2. We need all the gifts and the great power they afford us but the Spirit of Wisdom is truly priceless. Read about all the benefits of wisdom in Proverbs 2. The Word says, in vs. 9-11: "...then you will understand what is right and just and fair - every good path." This is saying that wisdom leads to understanding. Remember understanding is related to discernment; this means if we lay hold of the wisdom of God in our circumstances, we can interpret situations and we can have insight into what's really happening and then we will know what to do. Now that's a promise!
When the day of evil comes, we see it, we can interpret it and we can have insight about how to handle it. Praise God for His wonderful wisdom!
Ladies, always know that God is still on the throne. His is still in control and He has not left us to our limited knowldge. We have weapons as we fight.
I will close with my favorite scripture verse from Prov. 3: 5-6. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.
Amen.
The blessings of the Lord be upon you!