Tough people do.

She is strong. Proverbs 31:25

In my recent scripture study, I’ve been focusing on James chapter 1.  James 1:2-4 states, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of various kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish it’s work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

God never said that our Christian walk would be easy.  Look at the life of Jesus and the disciples. Jesus even cried out to the Lord asking Him if their was another way His will could be done.  God’s only son dealt with the pain of the world throughout his life just like we do.

The beauty of this is that our Savior understands and that He will never leave nor forsake us.  He will always be there for us no matter what we’re going through.  Whenever I’m placed in a bind, I remember that He is right there with me.  Despite all that is going on in our lives, in the end, the Lord will win this war against the devil.  Remember that God would never give us more than we can handle and He does not tempt us. We need to live out our God-given purposes on this earth to help others despite how hard life gets.

Here are a few tips I’ve learned to get through tough times and be strong:

1. Know that this too shall pass.  We all go through tough times, but it has an end.  You will have times when you are on the mountaintop and times when you are in the valley, but you must know that the Lord is with you whatever the situation.  This leads to the next tip…

2.  Read the word and meditate on it daily.  The word will renew your mind.  The Bible will begin to replace all of the lies that the devil is telling you, and it will guide your path.  The word also tells us to put our focus on the good things.  Philippians 4: 8 states, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.”  Reading the scripture will also build your faith.

3. Have faith.  Sometimes I feel like having faith in certain situations can be too difficult, but the word states that you only need the faith the size of a little mustard seed.  God will increase your faith, you just need to take the first step.

4.  Surround yourself with other believers.  Find other people who love the Lord and will tell you the truth in love.  They can put things in perspective for you.  Proverbs 27: 17 states “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”   Recently, I’ve been going to GriefShare classes at a local church, and the classes have helped me in ways unimaginable.  I’ve learned that grieving a loved one is a natural response and it takes time to work through.  Being with people who completely understand and are working through the grief and pain of losing someone as well has helped my life tremendously.

5.  Stand.  Despite all that we’re going through, we must stand and endure until the end.  I know for me standing and persevering has been hard.  There have been times when I haven’t wanted to get up out of bed in the morning after I lost my mother.  After she passed, life continued to get harder, but that has made me a stronger woman than I could have ever imagined.  Remember that in Him, we are made strong. 2 Corinth 12: 9

6. And don’t forget to pray! “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4: 4

Much love,

Krystal Antonique