Be Resilient
Resilient Faith
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.
Resilience is having the capacity to recover quickly from hard times. Faith is the component that makes this possible. In this life it isn’t if difficulties will come but when. Resilience is the ability to bounce back when those difficulties come. Having resilient faith requires looking past the circumstances in front of you and keeping faith fixed solely on the promises of God.
In 2 Kings there was a Shunammite woman who was barren and sought favor from Elijah to have a son. After receiving her promised child, she had her world turned upside-down when he suddenly died. Could you imagine waiting years on end for a promise to come to pass and all of a sudden it’s gone? This Shunammite woman’s promise died right in her lap. She didn’t see this as a point of defeat but used it as an opportunity to be resilient. She chose to have faith. She believed that the same God who gave her the promise will be the one who will bring her son back to life. It was her ability to spring back quickly that allowed her to get Elijah the prophet to come and resurrect her son.
The question is “What do you do when faced with difficulties, setbacks or roadblocks?” Do you choose to trust God no matter how things look? Being resilient boils down to how bad you want something and what you are willing to do to get it. Keeping the faith makes it possible to not give up in the face of troubles, setback and obstacles.
The same thing applies to our walk with God. We are to believe in a God that we have never seen with our eyes or touched with our hands; this is what we call ‘FAITH’. Faith in God is casting all our cares on God and trusting Him to take care of all that concerns us.
KEY POINT
Simply put, faith is trusting God too much to give up.
Prayer: Father God I thank you for who you are. I ask that you strengthen me in my times of need.
Fight the Good Fight of Faith
1 Timothy 6:12
“For I can do all things through Christ” (Philippians 4:13)
Throughout the Scriptures, there are numerous examples of suffering as well as miraculous victory. Yet in my opinion, there are few we come across in the New Testament, other than our Lord Jesus Christ, who endured more affliction than the apostle Paul. In 2 Corinthians 11, Paul recounts all he has suffered: being whipped, beaten and shipwrecked, and much more. (Read 2 Cor. 11: 23-28). Having endured such agony, Paul still was determined to press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14).
Like Paul, we may face various trials (whether anxiety, depression, the loss of a job, persecution, or abandonment by those closest to you), yet we have hope. We, too, can draw strength from knowing our Lord has all things under control. We, too, can be fully persuaded that nothing in this world, “neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39 ESV). We can rest assured that nothing we go through is in vain, but something glorious, something of great value is being formed for God’s glory and our delight in Him as we endure. “For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake…” (Philippians 1:29, ESV).
Believer, you are more than a conquer. Even when your trials seem to obscure your vision and weigh you down with a heavy burden, take hope in God’s promises, knowing that you have not lost. Like brother Paul, if we endure, we can say “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved His appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:7–8 ESV)
Background Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 11; Romans 8
Prayer: Father God, thank you for always being present in the storms of life. You command the world to be still and bring calm to my soul. I ask that you have your way in my life. In Jesus name Amen
