Until you know what it means to struggle or experience difficulty in life, you won’t be able to grasp just how magnificently on point the passage in Romans 5:3-5 is for the Christian. It says “3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” The Apostle Paul helps to illustrate what we can look forward to in the future if we don’t give up, but instead set our minds and hearts towards overcoming all obstacles through faith in God’s love.
Challenging times will come, and on this we can depend. They are a part of living life on earth. They also remind us that there’s still breath in our bodies and that we are blessed to be among the living. Challenges help us to grow, but on the surface they may not look that way. This is because any problematic situation we may face is used by the enemy to try and trip us up, so that we will doubt the power of God. We know from John 10:10 that the thief’s purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy; that’s what he does. The enemy knows that doubt is one of the greatest offenses to our Heavenly Father, and to us as well. So he stirs the pot of affliction in order to turn our hearts away from trusting God.
Sometimes it seems that the more we endeavor to muster up a big ol’ batch of faith, the more troublesome a situation can appear. It’s times like these that God calls upon us to do a switcharoo and empty out those old negative thoughts, and put on new thoughts of “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!” This is the kind of thinking that gives way to creativity and resourcefulness. We don’t have to pull random inspiration out of thin air. Verses like Romans 8:28 (NLT) are the perfect kick-off to moving in the right direction; it tells us, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” This is God’s promise, and we can bank on it.
We should never allow our emotions and attitudes to travel in the same direction as the troublesome or negative situations before us. This is what most people do, but thinking like everyone else seldom puts a person’s faith in high gear. The real workout begins when you go against the grain and forge elevated thoughts of optimism by putting on the mind of Christ. 2Corinthians 5:7 tells us that we walk by faith and not by sight. When you dare to focus on the positive, thank God for how He’s already resolved the problem supernaturally, and then begin to act and behave according to the victory you know is yours…that’s when your faith muscle is strengthened to the max.
Do you know what they say about a muscle when it gets warm? That’s when it is the most pliable. We receive some of the best faith workouts when we’re hot on the trail of a phenomenal blessing. This is the time when we are faced with our greatest challenges, obstacles, and problems. Our darkest days are often right before the breakthrough. During this time, we have to lean solely on God, because there’s no way that we can do anything to remedy the mess on our hands. He has to bring us out.
And as we observe how He works through us and in us, we also catch a glimpse of how we gradually become more pliable and moldable to His will, and then work in our best interest instead of sabotaging ourselves. If we’re really ready for what God has in store for us, we throw up our hands in praise to His omnipotence and invite Him to have His way. We will relinquish our plans for His plans, because we know His plan is masterful in every way. Hopefully, this is the point where we open our ears to hear His voice, because He is most assuredly speaking to us.
God is going to tell us what we need to hear, not necessarily what we want to hear. And yes, sometimes He tells us that we need to give up the things that are less useful in order to obtain those that are more useful. There’s a period of adjustment involved with this, and it is often the place where we begin to develop endurance and strength of character. It also marks a period in our faith where, again, our muscles are stretched beyond our level of comfort. This is representative of the mental and emotional pressure that we experience during times of challenge and struggle, but we’ve got to be patient, for Philippians 1:6 (KJV) assures us, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
Whether you’re dealing with loneliness, a troubled relationship, problems in the workplace, or issues at home; whatever it is, there are going to be times when our faith isn’t where it could be, but God still expects us to develop stamina and build those faith muscles. Hebrews 6:1-2(The Message) says, “So come on, let’s leave the preschool fingerpainting exercises on Christ and get on with the grand work of art. Grow up in Christ. The basic foundational truths are in place: turning your back on “salvation by self-help” and turning in trust toward God.” Heavenly Father always hears our prayers. He’s always ready to listen to our problems, but you can never forget that your mind and heart are a huge construct in the faith formula, and God is counting on you to trust Him until the end.●
Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright ©1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Building Faith Muscle” written by Kim Times and Reverend Fran Times-Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2015. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! Sundie Morning Sistas is dedicated to spiritual inspiration and encouragement through the Word of God.