Adversity: A Catalyst for Fruit?
Adversity is relative. The degree of adversity I am currently walking through is very different from the adversity my brother is faced with, for example. How I used to respond to this same level of adversity five years ago is quite different from how I respond to the same events or misfortune today. Losing my job and being forced to move from my home used to trigger despair and anxiety; even hopelessness. This was before I was grounded in my relationship with Christ and delighted in God's Word.
Today, I have peace in spite of these same events taking place. As I delight in the Lord and trust in His promises, I bear good fruit in the face of adversity. Patience and gentleness have replaced angst and lack of self-control. We all know how hardship raises our stress level. To have someone add to our stress can provoke harsh words. Now I see where kindness and compassion are more frequent than short-tempered responses. This I am so grateful for.
A believer who chooses to delight in the Word of God in the midst of adversity will avoid being offended. Whether it is an individual who has created the adversity or whether it came from some form of misfortune, we have a choice how we will respond.
One can allow bitterness, despair, hopelessness, shame, condemnation, or a number of lovely emotions to invade the heart.
OR..
That person will be like a tree whose roots search deep to where the Spirit provides strength and nourishment. He will draw from the well of God deep within his spirit. This will mature him to the point where adversity will now be the catalyst for fruit.
ೋღ B L E S S I N G S ღೋ
"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”
ღೋ Psalm 46:1 ღೋ
"When I said, "my foot is slipping," your love, O Lord supported me. When anxiety was great within me, Your consolation brought joy to my soul."
ღೋ Psalm 94:18-19 ღೋ
AMEN sister. I just LOVED this post. Trusting in God instead of our circumstances . . . it's walking by faith. I've heard it said MANY times, "Faith doesn't make things easy, but it makes all things possible." I find that faith leaves us with more questions with answers . . .but faith leads us into the loving arms of our Heavenly Father . . . and there is no better place to be! Love, hugs, and prayers,
ReplyDeleteCherie
Thank you, Cherie. When we look at things in the spiritual realm, we discern the ways the enemy uses even believers to persecute one another. Of course it is also our own sin or the fact that we have not yet grown in our fruits of the spirit. Amen, the arms of our loving Jesus is the best place; there or at His feet.
ReplyDeleteBlessings to you my dear friend!!
This was my "Vantage Point Devotional" for today 8/13/2010 from the Presidential Prayer Team website:
ReplyDeleteInternally Different
Happiness is like a slippery eel - just when you think you have hold of it, it slides from your grasp and slithers away. When the situation changes, there goes your happiness!
"Be joyful always" ~ I Thess 5:16
Joy is different. Biblical joy is not dependent upon external influences. This joy is internal and based instead on the relationship you have with Christ. The world can be crashing down around you, yet you can be joyful.
The Apostle Paul had been beaten, and was in prison chained to a guard. Yet he sang because he wasn't looking at his circumstances (Acts 16:23-25).
Have you allowed circumstances to rob you of the joy God wants you to have? It's easy if you only look at what's happening around you. Today's verse tells you to be joyful always. It's to be a way of life for the believer, where you don't live "under" your circumstances - but above them.
Today, thank the Lord for allowing the current conditions and events in your life, realizing He has something for you to learn or accomplish through the challenges. Then pray with that same perspective of joy for the circumstances the nation is facing, knowing God is still at work accomplishing His purposes ... in the good and the bad.
AMEN!