Have you had days when you can’t seem to get anything right, or the struggles and difficulties don’t feel like they will ever end? Something may have happened at work, and problems keep arising, making the days difficult. Perhaps you get a flat tire, the kids disobey, your pet is sick, or arguments flare with your spouse over trivial things. Your finances don’t meet the needs of your household; no matter what you do, you save on this, and you refrain from spending on that. You cancel subscriptions you can live without. You name it, you have done it, but things still don’t add up, or you can’t ever seem to get ahead. The things that cause difficulty in life are endless. Believe me, I know, I have been there numerous times. Life is difficult.
Sometimes we all have days when it feels like we hit a brick wall and can’t get past whatever is causing us to struggle, but eventually we can move past it. Sometimes they extend for weeks, months, or years. I am sure many can relate. Other days, you wake up just not wanting to face the world or anyone else. Perhaps you hate your job, or your commute, into the rising sun on the way there and into the setting sun on the way home. Life can be frustrating.
There may be certain people at your place of employment or on social media who rub you the wrong way, do things, or say things against you behind your back—undermining your place in the company or community that can tarnish your reputation for no good reason.
Your problems may come from others who should be encouraging you and lifting you up. It could be someone who is merely religious, someone whom all of us would expect to be held to a higher standard. But for one reason or another, they do not exhibit good character or integrity as they should. They manipulate, lie, secretly talk against the good you are doing, to keep you lower than you deserve, or outright work against the Lord’s people when they should be shepherding and protecting them. Yes, there are good and bad people everywhere you go, even those who appear good on the outside but secretly are no good on the inside. I am sure you know the type.
Listen, all of this is nothing new, and I desire to encourage you that better times are coming if you put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. As Solomon said, “There is nothing new under the sun.” The Apostle Peter said, “Do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.” Jesus said, “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Jesus also said previously in John 16:20-24, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. 21 When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. 22 So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. 23 In that day, you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, He will give it to you. 24 Until now, you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”
For those who put their faith in Jesus and desire to follow the Lord God wherever He leads, there is purpose in each struggle, trial, and testing of your faith. Good things are coming according to God’s will for you after you have endured the difficult times He planned for you.
Please understand this is how God works. Just like a good father or mother teaches, guides, and disciplines their children so they will do what is right, healthy, and good for their future. They know because they have gone through it previously. Our Heavenly Father knows infinitely more than we could ever know and desires good things for His children. So, He must teach each of us who are willing to learn from Him the lessons vital for our spiritual development. To be ready for His ultimate goal for your life.
Psalm 32:8-11 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. 9 Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you. 10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord. 11 Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
Proverbs 16:9 The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.
You will never become more like God, reflect His image more closely, or be able to handle His plans for you if you do not go through each time of struggle for Him to change you into what He wants you to be. Take any new thing that a child may learn in life. There was a time when they knew nothing, had to struggle to understand, failed, pushed forward, and then succeeded in learning that lesson. Then they became ready for the next step.
Hebrews 12:7-11 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom His father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness. 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Let’s take math, for instance, you need to learn your numbers first, single digits, double digits, and higher. Then, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and so on, leading to higher math knowledge. It is not easy, but you learn that everything builds on what you learned previously. It is often challenging to understand the next new thing. But through struggle and difficulty, you learn more and more. Then, before you know it, you can do it all with ease, and you can put your knowledge and understanding into practice in a real and constructive manner.
Romans 8:26-30 Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And He who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified.
That is the way God instructs us. He must start at the root of an issue, then work on correcting your understanding, knowledge, and behavior after repairing what was damaged. The truth is, we are all sinners, and that is the root cause of all our problems. If we are honest, we have all lied, stolen, and disobeyed our parents and authority. Everyone has coveted others’ possessions, cheated, manipulated others to get their way, hated others for one reason or another, looked with lust at someone else, and most importantly, not loved or obeyed God in all our ways.
If you were to stand before God on judgment day, before the Judge of the Universe. Would you be innocent or guilty? The truth is, each one of us would be found guilty, and you and I know that when someone is found guilty of a crime in a court of law, there is somekind of punishment to come. In this case, God will be forced to punish everyone who has broken His Law. But that is not what God wants for anyone. His plan is that you humble yourself before Him before that day, throwing yourself at the mercy of the Judge for forgiveness.
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
The good news is that God has made a way for you to be completely forgiven and pardoned for your sins. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to the earth to die for the forgiveness of all your sins. Jesus took the punishment you deserve and rose again to life after death to defeat sin and death for you.
Romans 5:6-10 For while we were still weak, at the right time Jesus Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by His life.
Not only that, but if you repent of your sins and turn to Jesus to follow Him for the rest of your life, He will adopt you into the family of God and reward you for everything you do from that point on to obey His commands, wherever that may lead you. You see, He has a good plan and path for you to follow, not an easy one, but for your good. If you follow Him by faith and trust that each struggle and difficulty is for your good and future, by faith, you will be able to put those lessons into practice and build up treasures in Heaven, and help others see this truth as well.
Life is not all about what you can get on earth. Oh no, there is so much more to come for those who follow and obey Jesus by faith. All those days of hardship, struggle, misery, and tribulation were for your good. They were orchestrated by the Father to change you from immaturity to maturity in Christ to be all that you can be.
Trust God by faith, endure the lessons and trials He allows in your life. Humble yourself, repent of any sin He points out to you, and learn what God is teaching you. Then God will heal, forgive, renew, strengthen, mold, and restore you more each day into His image. You will then be ready to take on the responsibility He has planned for His faithful servant to accomplish for the building of the Kingdom of God. And isn’t that what everyone desires, hopes for a better future? God is the source for your future.
James 4:7-10 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.
The Soul Sower 