Through it all

By Paul Phillips, Pastor, Gospel Lighthouse Church, Floyd

Everyone goes through hard times at some point in this life. We may face marriage problems, health issues, infertility, addictions, financial difficulties, rebellious children or the death of a loved one.

Any of these can wreak havoc on a family.

We may ask, “How can we survive these dark circumstances?”

The apostle Paul endured hardships. He put it this way:

“We do not want you to be uninformed about the troubles we experienced. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God.” — 2 Corinthians 1:8-9

Paul was under great stress. Even though he had great faith, wisdom, and walked closely with God, he was still tempted and assaulted by the devil. He went through some very intense battles, but he refused to give up.
We can also be encouraged by these words of Paul:

“Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ.” — 1 Corinthians 11:1

If we are in the heat of the struggle right now, let’s follow Paul’s example. He held on even when it was not easy.

The Lord calls us to do the same. It isn’t His will for us to crumble in defeat and quit. He wants us to endure hardness as a good soldier. He calls us to be more than a conqueror and fight the good fight of faith.

If we will do this, we will be amazed at what the Lord will do. We will win the victory.

Many times we want to run from trouble, but that isn’t where seasoned saints are made. It’s in the fire where God pours iron in our souls.

After we’ve done all we know to do, we must stand on His promises and reject every temptation to give up. He will give us all the strength and courage we need.

The prolific songwriter Andraé Crouch penned these lyrics:

Through it all. Through it all.
I’ve learned to trust in Jesus.
I’ve learned to trust in God.
Through it all. Through it all.
I’ve learned to depend upon His Word.

When we learn to depend on the Lord, we will grow deep in our faith and sing sweet songs of victory that we never knew before. Let’s keep our eyes on Jesus. He is the author and finisher of our faith.

Onward Christian soldiers.

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Pastor Paul and Dixie Phillips serve the congregation of the Gospel Lighthouse Church in Floyd.

Sunday worship is 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Wednesday worship service is 7 p.m.