Best ways to overcome adversity


Suffering is the common lot of the human race.  We see pictures on television of people ravaged by war or famine, and our hearts are touched (as they should be).  But all around you are people who suffer in others ways: loneliness, fear, rejection, disability, grief, poverty, discrimination, addiction, or a multitude of problems.

But God has compassion on us--He suffers with us.  He knows what we are going through, and He cares.  The greatest act of compassion in the history of the human race was the Cross, for there Christ suffered for us. He endured sin's penalty so we would not have to endure it ourselves.

Now He calls us to have compassion on others, for His sake--suffer with them, and to point them to the One who suffered for them.  The Bible says, "Be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble" (I Peter 3:8) - Billy Graham

“Neither death nor life,….nor things present not things to come,….shall be able to separate us from the love of God” – Romans 8:38-39

     There are two ways to respond to adversity; discouragement or trust.

     The problem with giving in to discouragement is that it only makes things worse, for with it may come bitterness, anger, jealousy, revenge, and so forth.  We may even try to escape through drugs or alcohol.  But do any of these solve the problem? No!

     God has a better way---the way of trust.  Sometimes He may show us that we were in the wrong.  When that is the case, we need to confess it, repent, and seek His forgiveness.  Sometimes, however, we can only accept what is happening and ask God to help us endure it and triumph over it.


     One of the best ways to overcome adversity, I've found, is to praise God right in the middle of the turmoil.  Turning to God’s Word will also encourage us, many of the Psalms, for example, were written in the midst of suffering and adversity.  Follow the Psalmist’s example. “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits” (Psalm 103:2) – Billy Graham

Blessings,

Raj Kosaraju

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