No one is exempt from problems or challenges in life. We all have something that we’re dealing with. Jesus tells us in John 16:33 that we will have tribulations, but we can be of good cheer; because He has overcome the world. If we know that troubles are apart of life, we must learn the right way to respond. We must learn how to rise above our difficulties.
In order to rise above our difficulties, we must have the right mindset.
We must first anticipate challenges. The words of Jesus prepare us. We must believe His Word and arm our minds with it. As we do, we will not be so caught off guard and thrown off by our difficulties. This is often our biggest problem.
We aim for problem-free lives. We’re often not warned of the inevitable difficulties that we’ll all experience. The messages of the world tend to be all about glamour and glitter. Therefore, when challenges come, we’re not prepared and we respond the wrong way.
We must understand that difficulties are apart of life.
This is the right mindset toward difficulties. When we have the right mindset, we will go into problem-solving mode when challenged, as opposed to the “why me” victim mentality that tends to discourage us.
Instead of running, resisting, and avoiding our difficulties; we must approach them with the mindset of overcoming them. We must rise above our difficulties.
Once we adopt the right mindset, our next response must be to pray.
Prayer is when we get alone with God and literally talk to Him. We must talk to Him about the difficulty, what we’re experiencing, as well as what we’re feeling. We must be honest here.
Praying to God positions us to hear from Him so that we can gain His perspective on the situation. Prayer must be done in conjunction with taking in His Word. His Word should guide our prayers as it gives us the ability to regulate our feelings.
Spending time in God’s Word allows us to identify when our thoughts or feelings are out of line. When facing challenges, our initial reaction may not always be the right one. It is then that that Holy Spirit will bring to our remembrance the truth of God’s Word.
Though we may feel afraid, we can mediate on Psalm 23: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. When we are unsure of of our future, we can declare that goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.
When we’re unsure of why a situation is happening, we can remember Romans 8:28, believing that God will work it for our good. We may not understand it, but we can believe His Word.
These are the truths that we must stand on in order to rise above our difficulties.
Lastly, we must stand. After arming ourselves with the right mindset and praying, we must stand in front of our difficulty and rise above it. Overcoming is not about removal. Whatever is challenging us, must be faced. There is no victory without a battle. There is no overcoming without an obstacle.
We cannot expect to be strengthened without being challenged. Growth occurs during a struggle. As we understand this, we must ditch the ‘easy route’ thinking processes, and accept that the Christian life will require fighting. The fighting is humbling, because we’re not in control of what comes, when it comes, or how it comes.
It just comes, and we must face it.
As you go about your day today, I pray that you embrace a ‘rise above’ mentality. Don’t ask “why me?“, pray “Lord, help me.” As we depend on Him to rise above, He will supernaturally give us the understanding and strength to forge ahead. He is able and He is often working things out of us that we may not always be aware of.
So, when it gets hard and it may not feel good, we can still declare that “God is working this for my good. I will rise above.”
Read LIFE: Learn How To Live With Problems
