by Rick Warren

"Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, 'Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved'" (Acts 27:31 NIV).

Life is not fair. You will have problems, difficulties, and hurts that will make you better or bitter. You will either grow up or give up. Either you'll become who God wants you to be or your heart will become hard. You have to decide how you are going to respond to the tough times in your life. How will you handle it?

When you go through those difficult times, what happens to you is not nearly as important as what happens in you. That's what you take into eternity — not the circumstances but your character.

In Acts 27, we learn three ways you shouldn't respond in trials:

1. Don't drift.

"The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along" (Acts 27:15 NIV). The ship carrying Paul and other prisoners to Rome was in the middle of the Mediterranean and hadn't seen the sun for 14 days, so they couldn't get any bearings, and they started to drift.

When they face difficulty, some people start drifting through life. They have no goal, purpose, ambition, or dream for their life. Today, we call this "coasting." The problem with coasting is that you're headed downhill. Life is not a coast. Life's tough. Don't lose your ambition or your dream just because life gets hard.

2. Don't discard.

"We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard" (Acts 27:18 NIV). The men in charge needed to lighten the ship, so they threw the cargo overboard, then the tackle and the food. They were discarding things they needed because the storm was so tough.

When you get in a storm and the stress gets unbearable, you tend to start abandoning values and relationships you would not let go of in better times. You say, "I'm giving up on my marriage. I'm giving up on my dream to go to college."

God says, "Stay with the ship!" For example, have you done that in your marriage? Have you said, "Divorce is not an option for us; we're going to make it work"? If you haven't, you'll always be tempted to walk out. If you don't throw away the key, you'll never develop the character God wants you to have. God can change situations and personalities. He can change you. I've learned from personal experience that it is never God's will to run from a difficult situation. God wants you to learn, grow, and develop, and he is there with you all the time.

3. Don't despair.

"We finally gave up all hope of being saved" (Acts 27:20b NIV). After 14 days in total darkness and after giving up their cargo, tackle, and food, the passengers finally give up hope. But they'd forgotten one thing: Even in a storm, God is in control. He hasn't left you. You may not feel him, but if you feel far from God, guess who moved?

God is with you in the storm, and he'll help you through it. He is testing you to see if you'll trust him.

Talk It Over

How do you demonstrate that you trust God when you're in a storm?

What difficult situation have you been waiting on God to change?

How might God be waiting on you to start changing instead of changing the situation? How will you respond?

by John MacArthur

"'For man is born for trouble, as sparks fly upward'" (Job 5:7).

Because they are sinners, still living in a sinful world, Christians should expect to encounter difficulties.

"It all depends on how you look at it." That may be a cliché, but it is very applicable for believers as they deal with trials and sufferings. Any trial can be a joyous experience for a Christian if he looks at it from the proper, biblical perspective. Or, as with Jonah (Jonah 4) and Elijah (1 Kings 19:1-14), trials can be frustrating times of self-pity if believers lose their focus on what God is doing.

For some of us, the first hurdle to overcome is the very notion that trials and sufferings will be a part of the Christian life. But Job 5:7 reminds us that trouble is inevitable. If we imagine an ideal world where everything is just right all the time for believers, we are setting ourselves up for profound disappointment. Jesus Himself tells us we must expect significant difficulties in our lives: "In the world you have tribulation" (John 16:33).

All of us, to a greater or lesser extent, need to be prepared for testings and tribulations. And these troubles will be different for each of us. For some, the trial might be a financial crisis, accompanied by the loss of personal savings or investments. For some, it could be the loss of employment, with the anxiety of not being able to find another job anytime soon. Perhaps for others, the severe trial will be a serious illness or injury in their family, a fatal car accident, or being devastated by a major crime like murder or burglary.

In God's purpose and plan, trials and sufferings are real and should not catch us by surprise or leave us angry and perplexed. If we recognize the Lord's sovereign role in all these things, we will be able to affirm these words from an old hymn:

Whate'er my God ordains is right: Holy His will abideth; I will be still whate'er He doth, And follow where He guideth.

Suggestions for Prayer

Ask God for wisdom to better understand and accept the truth that He is sovereign over all areas of life. Pray for a friend or family member who might be currently in the midst of a trial. For Further Study

Read 1 Kings 19:1-14.

Who and what did Elijah focus on more than God? What events from chapter 18 did the prophet quickly forget?

By Dr. Tim Clinton

God is not wasting the pain in your life. He never wastes a wound. As you go through the dark, deep valleys in your life, remember that the great Apostle Paul was even pounded by the evil one. All hell seemed to be against him. In his moment of darkness, he begs God to get rid of this thorn in his flesh, this messenger of Satan that was harassing him. (II Corinthians 12:8)

What messenger of Satan has come your way? Does it feel like there is a thorn deep in your flesh, and you can find no relief? Have you pleaded with God to just take it away? Paul did. He cried out to God not just once, but three times. And still God chose not to remove his thorn.

In all of this Paul learned something special. God simply spoke to him and said, "I have provided grace for you. Sufficient grace. Grace to remind you and reassure you that through this weakness, I will show My Power."

Paul got the message. He declared that he would be, not just "ok" with this, but that he would be most glad about it. He went on to say that he would not only be content with the "thorn" but also with insults, hardships, persecutions and calamities. He understood that you can’t control your life. God will be at work. He will use the "thorn"–the messenger of Satan–to remind you that He is all you need. He is in control. Look around you. Can you see it? Grace… more and more grace…

Source: Hunger and Thirst Devotional by Dr. Tim Clinton

About The Author:

Tim Clinton, Ed. D., LPC, LMFT is President of the nearly 50,000-member American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC), the largest and most diverse Christian counseling association in the world. He is Professor of Counseling and Pastoral Care, and Executive Director of the Center for Counseling and Family Studies at Liberty University. He is licensed in Virginia as both a Professional Counselor and Marriage and Family Therapist. He is recognized as a world leader in faith and mental health issues and has authored over 20 books including Breakthrough: When to Give In, When to Push Back.

by Rick Warren

"This small and temporary trouble we suffer will bring us a tremendous and eternal glory, much greater than the trouble" (2 Corinthians 4:17 GNT).

When we go through difficulties in life, the first thing we often try to do is blame somebody else. But it doesn't matter where your problem came from — God still has a purpose for it in your life. Even when you do stupid things, God can use it. Even when other people hurt you intentionally, he can use it. Even when the Devil plans bad things for your life, God can bring good out of it.

God's purpose is greater than your problems and your pain. He has a plan! You need to look past the temporary pain and look instead at the long-term benefit in your life.

Romans 5:3-4 says, "We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that . . . they help us learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady" (TLB).

What's the purpose of your problems and difficulty? God wants you to learn something. Every storm is a school. Every trial is a teacher. Every experience is an education. Every difficulty is for your development.

Most of us are slow learners. If you don't learn something, God will bring it up again in your life. It will come back, because God is more interested in your character than he is in your comfort. He is more interested in seeing you become more like Christ than he is in making things easy for you.

Maybe you are facing a major difficulty right now. It may be an illness or guilt or a financial problem or strain in a relationship. Does God have a word for you while you're going through your difficulty? Absolutely. God is saying to you, "Don't give up. Grow up." Fulfill the purpose of your difficulty — becoming more and more the person he created you to be.

"This small and temporary trouble we suffer will bring us a tremendous and eternal glory, much greater than the trouble" (2 Corinthians 4:17 GNT).

Talk It Over

How does placing blame affect you spiritually and emotionally?
What steps can you take to grow spiritually so that you can fulfill the purpose of your difficulty?
How might you respond to someone who asks, "Why is this ‘good person' experiencing such a hard time?"

by Mary Southerland

Today's Truth

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7, NIV).

Friend to Friend

Have you ever ridden in a helicopter? It's the ride of a lifetime! But when you land … now that's another story. A helicopter landing sends absolutely everything flying in a hundred different directions at ridiculously high speeds. I know. That's how I live life.

One of the reasons I love the apostle Paul is because he seemed to live the same kind of life. Philippians is one of my favorite books written by Paul. The fourth chapter of Philippians is one of the most positive passages Paul ever wrote … and it is written in the midst of a helicopter landing in Paul's life! Paul is in a Roman jail awaiting judgment and possible execution. He could be terrified and doubting God at this point. Instead he is writing a book about joy and peace. How in the world did he pull that off?

Life is filled with crisis. Each one of us can tell our story about a disaster we are facing or a storm we are going through. If you are a Southerland, you live from one crisis to another. That is just the way we roll.

• I battle clinical depression on a daily basis.
• I have Scoliosis, degenerative disc disease, arthritis and stenosis in my back.
• My husband has A fib. He has had two heart ablations and 31 cardio versions.
• Financial crisis as a result of the above mentioned medical adventures always seem to be lurking just around the corner.
• And I won't even get started with kids and grandkids. You are definitely not up for that today!

I know many of you have the same kind of struggles. You know what I am talking about. The fact is that all of God's children deal with crisis. Jesus said, "It rains on the righteous and the unrighteous." He also said "In this world you will have trouble."

Let me share with you what I have learned about dealing with pain and crisis. Character rises to the top over time and under pressure. From that truth comes my prescription for how we get through this world and how we respond to the damage we experience in this world.

We hurt. We are deeply injured. Pain is always about proximity. We must allow our emotions to flow. We must allow the emotions of others to flow. We must realize that emotions come in a different order and on a different schedule. Some will grieve first. Others will be angry. Some will be in denial. Some will be vocal. Some will withdraw. But we all hurt. Jesus wept. He knows about hurt and hurts with us.

We guard. The passage we read from Philippians 4 talks about "guarding your hearts and minds." That is an important word for us when we face a crisis.

Guard your heart from despair. I know your heart is broken. People you love and trust have betrayed you. Your God is still with you. He will never leave you or betray you. The enemy will whisper to you that you are going down. That may be his goal, but it is not God's plan.

Guard your heart from retreat. We are tempted to use pain and hurt as an excuse to abandon the plan to which God has called us. It is so much easier to simply give up. I know. There have been times when I have literally and figuratively pulled the covers over my head and told God to just go away. It didn't work. He loves me too much, and He loves you too much to let you give up. He will, however, give you time to heal – not retreat.

It's funny. Looking back, what I thought would be the biggest disasters in my life turned out to be the most magnificent victories. The mess in the messenger does not negate the message. God uses messed up people.

There is a scene at the end of the movie Apollo 13 that I love. The head of NASA is talking to the press secretary, listing all of the things that have gone wrong with the spacecraft. The head of NASA concludes by saying, "This could be the greatest disaster in NASA's history."

The flight director overhears the conversation, turns to the two men, and says, "I believe this will be NASA's finest hour."

You may feel that whatever crisis you are facing could be the greatest disaster in your life. That would be the enemy's plan. Or it can be the finest hour of your life. That would be God's plan. It is your choice.

Let's Pray

Father, please forgive me for wanting to give up and turn away from You. I am so tired and so hurt. Please give me the strength to go on. Today, I choose Your healing power to work in my life. I will guard my heart against bitterness and anger. I will not retreat. I choose to believe that the pain of today is the foundation of tomorrow's victory.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen.

Now It's Your Turn

What crisis are you going through today? Can you see how God can use this mess to create a new message in you? What would that message be? Record your thoughts in your journal.

Volume 2 No 54: February 11 2012
Special: Overcoming the Storms of Life