Challenge Accepted

Special Attention

Nobody said serving God would mean roses and sunshine and ‘soft life’ experiences everyday. It can actually feel like once you make a firm resolve to serve God and live for Him, you start to get special attention from the enemy.

In a bid to throw us off course, thwart our purpose and have us live distracted lives instead of focusing on the things of God and his promises, the devil will try anything.

Even the things intended to bless us, can sometimes become tools in the enemy’s arsenal.

It’s not a mystery, or a surprise then that we can be faced with challenging situations which may truly be outside of our control and not directly our fault. These are the cases where we require true wisdom to handle the situation, it’s consequences and the people involved to find a resolution.

Recently, my prayer life has been centered around the following themes:

1.     Total alignment with God’s will, purpose, and intention

2.     Wisdom in all my dealings to the point of puppet-like surrender to God’s will

3.     Mental Transformation to embrace my authority as a joint heir, child of God. Knowing that he created that authoritative atmosphere through his sacrifice on the cross

4.     Complete guidance from the Holy Spirit to take captive all my thoughts, beliefs, words, decisions, plans, actions, and interactions.

5.     A spirit of praise, rejoicing and thanksgiving in all things, at all times, no matter what life has in play.

We’re Still Human

So truly I shouldn’t be surprised if negative powers begin to try to surface to pose a distraction. I should power through and in real time maintain calm and composure.

Yet, we are all human, we live and interact in the physical realm in real time and we are imperfect. That is why recommitting to God in prayer and servitude must be a daily practice!!

Still, with my newly 'prayed up' perspective of complete reliance on God for literally my ‘every next move’, I decided to hop on the AI (Artificial Intelligence) bandwagon (for the first time and I loved it! 😊) to do some biblical research on how to really handle challenging situations in a totally Godly way.

I found these actionable insights that I’ll share below as well as the relevant references. I hope they shed some light and become a principled guide for someone as much as they are now for me.

A Biblical Perspective to Master Challenges

My prompt/query was:

"How does the bible say we are to handle challenging situations which are not our fault and require wisdom to deal with the situation and the people involved and resolve it?"

The generated response is given below:

“The Bible provides guidance on how to handle challenging situations that are not our fault and require wisdom to resolve. Here are some key principles:

1. Seek wisdom from God through prayer. James 1:5 says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you."[3] We should humbly ask God for the wisdom to navigate difficult circumstances.

2. Wait patiently on God's timing. Psalm 37:7 instructs, "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes."[3] We should not act rashly but trust in God's perfect timing.

3. Seek godly counsel. Proverbs 19:20 says, "Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise."[3] We should seek guidance from mature believers who can provide biblical perspective.

4. Trust in God's sovereignty. Proverbs 3:5-6 exhorts, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him and he will make your paths straight."[3] We must submit to God's will and trust that He is in control.

5. Cast your cares on God. 1 Peter 5:7 says, "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."[5] We should give our burdens to God, who cares for us and can provide peace and strength.

6. Persevere with endurance. James 1:2-4 encourages, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."[5] Difficult situations can build our character and faith if we endure with joy.

In summary, the Bible instructs us to seek God's wisdom through prayer, wait patiently on His timing, seek godly counsel, trust in His sovereignty, cast our cares on Him, and persevere with endurance when facing challenging situations beyond our control.[3][5]”

Stay blessed,

Catique

Citations:

[1] Lord, give us wisdom as we face difficult situations - Jeff Valley Ministry https://jefftvalleyministries.com/message/lord-give-us-wisdom-as-we-face-difficult-situations/

[2] 14 Encouraging Bible Verses For Hard Times | MobileAxept https://mobileaxept.com/2020/01/02/encouraging-bible-verses-for-hard-times/

[3] Wisdom for Tough Decisions - The Christian Working Woman https://christianworkingwoman.org/broadcasts/wisdom-for-tough-decisions/

[4] 15 Bible Verses for the Hard Times - | CRC Network https://network.crcna.org/topic/spiritual-formation/faith-nurture/15-bible-verses-hard-times

[5] 30 Bible Verses That Offer Comfort In Difficult Times https://www.telecarebc.com/30-bible-verses-that-comfort-in-difficult-times