God will allow us to go through adversity. Although He does not glory in pain or sorrow, He may allow it for us to grow in faith. This is a process in which we can grow beyond our comfort zone.

It takes time in prayer and obedience to push away the tendency to take over and go ahead of God. When we move ahead of God and his plan for our lives, it shows that we lack trust, and that we are being prideful. It is impossible for us to know better than God. He knows everything. Never forget God knows the future!

We must learn to be still to hear God’s instructions. This requires being still inside our hearts and minds. We must be fervent in prayer for God to show us exactly what He wants from us. Pursuing our own will, apart from God’s, will get in the way of hearing from Him. To have the mind of Christ takes serious study in the Word of God.

The Word of God, along with the Holy Spirit, becomes a guide within our hearts and minds. It will transform our way of thinking, and will result in a change of our lives.

As we move along with the process of trusting in the Lord, we shed what we thought would bring us joy and fulfillment. God reveals how we may have idolized things and caused us to go in a direction away from His plans for our lives.

It is not an easy process to surrender the ideas and the opinions we’ve gathered living in the world. Our new life should be very different than the old life. Our way of living becomes sacrificial. A life where one considers others above themselves. The sacrifice of our own desires should be the driving force that leads us to the exact place where God wants us.

It may seem at times that nothing is changing when we are still and trusting in God. Our lives may seem obscure. It is in our hearts and minds that we need change in this process more than our circumstances. The ways of being proud and self-reliant must stop to have a deeper relationship with God.

God has a plan for our lives and it is our job to seek His Kingdom first. We must understand exactly how He wants to mold us into his image and for everyone it will be different. One thing is for sure. We must learn to endure whatever trials we are in to receive what he has promised us.

We must always turn to the Lord in every hardship. Adversity can show us what we need to learn in the situation. We may battle feelings of disbelief or denial. Our overriding thought must be one of trust and faith in God’s ability to come through.

There is no quick way through the seasons of adversity. Most of the time there are not any quick solutions to the trials we face. When we surrender selfish feelings and desires, God will be faithful to us. 

Adversity has a way of pushing us beyond our comfort zone. This is where we find God waiting for us. It is where we find total reliance upon him. Adversity can stir us to pray like nothing else can. It is within our prayers that we can find shelter from life’s storms.

A life in God’s Presence brings a sense of security and hope. He brings light into the darkness. He will use trials to shape our lives in ways that reflect his love. Adversity can refine our hope, and settle our hearts into complete contentment.

Without adversity, we can miss out on a joy that only a deepened relationship with God will bring about. This is joy that would not have been without stretching beyond our comfort zone. Our new life with Christ is our real life. Finally, a place of peace. This is unlike what anyone or anything else could ever provide, but Jesus Christ himself.

Adversity is a bridge to a deeper relationship with God.

Please check out my recent books called “Come Back Home (a memoir) and Heart of a Wife (a workbook). These are both designed to give you biblical insight and the skills to improve your roles as a wife and mother.

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