Storms of Adversity

When we come face to face with adversity, let your faith arise and know that God has a greater plan He’s working. We cannot look at our circumstances through our own eyes, we cannot judge by our own standards, but what we must do is – in everything give it to God. God will not leave you, His providential hand is always at work in your life. In every trial or trouble, no matter how hard it may seem or how unbelievable things have turned out, we must give it all to God.  The only way we face adversity is by faith in Jesus Christ. Our understanding of things is never on the level as God’s, thinking we can see beyond the mountains and over the hills and through the valleys as God can, we are only deluding ourselves. Our perspective is very limited and often involves only what we want to see.

We must walk by faith knowing that God sees and is aware of everything, and that our involvement of things that are happening cannot change the true outcome. We must declare our dependency upon a sovereign and Omnipotent God who loves us despite our wayward ways. Step out in faith, believe and trust that God can deal with your situations. Peter was told by Christ that he would deny Him three times before the roster crowed on that night, the night that he was betrayed. But before all of this, it was during the Lords supper, Jesus revealed something that Peter could not have ever imagine: “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren” (Lk. 22:31-32).

Even in the most difficult of times we may make the mistake of acting the way Peter did. We question God’s faithfulness to us, we question His love, we even question our faith towards Him. But just as Peter, Satan is right there waiting to sift you as wheat, he is wanting you to keep this attitude of faithlessness going. Satan wants to kill, steal and destroy your faith and for you to turn away from pursuing God; he wants to be your god and if you open that door just a tiny bit, he will take you like a storm.  As hard as it may be, turn a deaf ear to the lies of the enemy and fill your mind with God’s Word, His love and His promises. I’m sure Peter would never had believe that he would deny the Son of God, after all he walked with Him, he heard the teachings and he had seen the miracles first hand, and now the thing that Christ spoke of has come to past.

Adversity has no standards to consider first, it has no qualifications to look at, it is not bias or racial, it is all inclusive. But God be praised, Jesus is praying for you, He is your intercessor, He has the ear of God and He is lifting you before the Father. He is praying that your faith does not fail and that you be strengthen in the difficulty you are facing. He is placing angels in your path to lead you, He is speaking a Word in you through the Holy Spirit – God has not forsaken you. Jesus prayed that Peter’s faith fail not, the Lord has shown compassion, forgiveness and now restoration of Peter’s Apostolic office that he though he lost. We see his restoration here, when an angel appeared to Mary “but go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you” (Mk. 16:7).  

Peter was strength by this message, it brought him the peace of mind and heart that he was still in God’s good grace. Just as Jesus is praying now for you that your faith fail not, so stand strong on your conviction, stand strong on the promises of God, and don’t allow the enemy to have any place in you. As hard as it may be for you to believe, God has a plan for your life, even when it feels as though you can’t breathe or that you can’t go on, He’s right there with you. God is a God of Love, seek His forgiveness, get to the Word of God and believe it. Ask God to lead you to scriptures that will keep you strengthen and walking in faith, pray with fervency and perseverance – never give up. Trust that even in your most difficult moment, in your troubles and in your trials, God is in absolute control – and you can be sure that He will deliver you and then you will give Him all the Glory.

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