Do you face trials or worry?

Sometimes we complain about difficulty or trials but it seems that sometimes that is where we learn the most.

Personally, I have been learning a lesson about abiding in Christ when the circumstances in life are not the best. It has occurred to me of late that trials and difficulty can actually be a good thing.

For starters, Satan doesn't attack if you are not causing him problems or you are not a threat to him. I would be more worried if Satan were leaving me alone and not attacking.

Second, if we face trials to me it means God knows we can handle the trial since Scripture says He will never allow more than we can bear. God cares enough about us to use the divine sandpaper to knock off some rough edges and make us into what He wants us to be. Sometimes I think my character must have been really bad or the Lord must care a lot about me because I have spent a whole lot of my Christian walk with the power sander being applied.

Being forced to rely on the Lord via the tough times is how He molds our character at times. Often more than likely it is because we refuse to surrender to His will until He puts us into a position where we have no place else left to turn. It is often the problems in life that teach us to rely on God and walk in the Spirit. If we place our reliance where it should be and we walk in the Spirit a trial will result in our Spiritual Growth, increased faith and dependence on God.

“And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.” Romans 5:3-4

Sad really that many today turn to man’s theories and wisdom by running to a psychologist instead of turning to the Lord and His word.

One morning this past spring, as I was driving to work I noticed it was the time of year where the blue bonnets are starting to bloom. That reminded me of some verses:

Matthew 6:25-30 "Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?"

It is very reassuring to me to know that not a single bird will fall from the sky without God having known about it from before the foundation of the world.

What I am learning is that we need to spend our time abiding in or resting in Jesus and letting God deliver in His time and in His means or as Paul put it: "worry about nothing and pray about everything"

Philippians 4:6 "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."

I don't know about you...but sometimes I forget that God is aware of and dealing with my trials, attacks from the enemy, and all the other issues of life.

It is nice to be reminded of that, especially when God uses something as simple and humble as His beautiful creation of the blue bonnets to remind me.