{"id":3011,"date":"2015-08-30T09:00:10","date_gmt":"2015-08-30T14:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.barbdahlgren.com\/?p=3011"},"modified":"2015-08-30T16:04:31","modified_gmt":"2015-08-30T21:04:31","slug":"choose-how-to-handle-trials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/?p=3011","title":{"rendered":"Choose How to Handle Trials Before They Happen"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Year of Choices…<\/em><\/p>\n

By Barbara Dahlgren from Barbara\u2019s Banter at\u00a0www.barbdahlgren.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

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Oswald Chambers once wrote, \u201cThe typical view of the Christian life is that it means being delivered from all adversity.\u00a0 But it actually means being delivered in adversity, which is something quite different\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

God never promised the Christian life would be free of hardships, temptations, sorrow, or suffering. \u00a0In fact 1 Peter 4:12 tells us to expect such things. Yet we are always surprised when they happen.<\/p>\n

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Many think if our faith is strong enough, bad things won\u2019t happen to us. That\u2019s simply not true. \u00a0And shame on those who go to suffering people and add to their misery by telling them if they had enough faith they wouldn\u2019t be going through some horrendous trial.\u00a0 Those who promote such ideas have not spent much time reading the Bible.\u00a0\u00a0 Job suffered.\u00a0 Paul suffered.\u00a0 Stephen suffered.\u00a0 The twelve apostles suffered.\u00a0 Jesus, the most innocent man of all, suffered.<\/p>\n

Some faithful Christians will get diseases and die no matter how many sincere prayers are said for healing. \u00a0Some will be gunned down by random acts of violence, no matter how pure their lives have been. \u00a0Some husbands will leave beautiful wives no matter how faithful and loving those wives have been. \u00a0Dedicated Christians will face loneliness, death, anxiety, suffering, temptation, fear, exhaustion, conflict, poverty, and uncertainty just like everyone else.<\/p>\n

Consider this\u2026 Perhaps God tells us to expect trials so we can determine ahead of time how to react when they come.<\/p>\n

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had predetermined that even if God decided not to deliver them from the fiery furnace they would still believe and follow God.\u00a0 (Daniel 3:16-20)<\/p>\n

Habakkuk had predetermined he would rejoice in God no matter what happened.\u00a0 \u201cThough the fig tree does not blossom, and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will be joyful in God my Savior.\u201d \u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0(Habakkuk 3:17-19)<\/p>\n

Habakkuk was not going to rejoice because of trials, but he could rejoice in spite of trials because he knew God loved him, was at work in his life, and would be with him no matter what came his way.\u00a0 He would never have to go through a trial alone, feeling like there was no purpose to his suffering.<\/p>\n

David said, \u201cI will bless the Lord all times\u2026\u201d (Psalms 34:1) \u00a0This means even during trials.<\/p>\n

\"philippians-4-13\"<\/a><\/p>\n

We can learn a lot through trials.\u00a0 Paul found that out and concluded he could do quite a lot through God\u2019s strength, not his own (Philippians 4:11-13), because God can use trials to build our faith.\u00a0 If we focus on Jesus instead of our trials we grow spiritually and develop trust, perseverance, hope, patience, and peace.\u00a0 These qualities rarely manifest themselves when all is going well.<\/p>\n

We can choose how we are going to handle our trials before they come.\u00a0 Peter tells us to stay prepared for action and determined to focus on Jesus. (1 Peter 1:13) \u00a0 The closer we are to God before the trials come, the easier it will be to look beyond our circumstance to Jesus.\u00a0 Trials can make us bitter or better.\u00a0 We make the choice!\u00a0 Daily building a relationship with God makes this choice easier.<\/p>\n

Suggestions for practicing this choice\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n