Recently, I saw a video of a young woman talking about her life-long health struggles. The trials that she has endured were far worse than what I think I could have handled. But she has persevered and she continues to fight. Her heart-rending story spoke loudly to me because I have been going through a rough patch of my own lately. And although my circumstances cannot compare to hers, recent times have been difficult.
Accounts such as the one above are generally inspirational. They evoke the idea, “If they can do it, I can do it”, which can motivate us to bear up under the pressures of our situation. When we see that someone is dealing with a problem much more severe than ours, it helps us view our situation from its proper perspective and quit feeling sorry for ourselves. In addition, someone’s journey to success might inspire us because that journey often includes roadblocks, setbacks, and times of almost giving up, which might be similar to our own experiences.
This reminds me of 1 Corinthians 10:13 – “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man…”
When we experience troubles, trials or rough patches, we may think that we are the only ones suffering from any kind of adversity. But this verse says that our temptations (hardships designed to defeat us) are a common part of being human. Knowing this, helps alleviate the anxiety caused by thinking, “What’s wrong with me?” or “Why is this happening to me?”
And before I go any further, these temptation/hardships DO NOT come from God! They come from our enemy, the devil, who runs the show here on earth and whose mission it is to steal, kill and destroy. (John 10:10)
(You can also look at James 1:13, which clearly states that God is not the source of our temptations.)
This brings up another point – what if the reason we’re facing a hardship right now is our own fault?
Lamentations 3:22, 23 – It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
God’s mercy is never thwarted by our mistakes or carelessness, or even by our disobedience. That doesn’t mean that there may not be consequences for our actions (there are laws in life). But it means that God does NOT hold our faults against us. He is a compassionate, loving, and faithful God, who cares more for us than we know. He recognizes our weaknesses, not to condemn us for them, but so He can shower His mercy upon them.
When we are troubled or going through a rough patch, the avenue to our deliverance is simple. It might not be easy, there may be hard work involved; but it is simple, or uncomplicated. And here it is in a nutshell – change your mind. It’s just that simple, but it is a process.
The first step in the process is to recognize what you are thinking about your current situation. Are your thoughts negative, fearful, or hopeless? Are you thinking, “I can’t do this” or “This situation can’t be fixed”? Harboring those kinds of thoughts will keep you bound in your troubles because they are wrong believing.
You must change those thoughts into positive, confident, and hopeful thoughts. Thoughts like, “I can do this!” or “This situation isn’t going to beat me.” will pave the way to your success. These thoughts will enable you to rise above your trials because they are right believing.
But how do we accomplish this change? Here is an analogy that can help you change your mind.*
Think of your mind like a camera. The first thing we do when we want to take a photograph is determine what we want our picture to be. Once we’ve chosen our picture, we adjust the camera lens to get the shot in clear focus. And we consider the necessary exposure time so that all factors in the picture can work together for the perfect photo. Then we shoot the picture.
In similar fashion, we need to be clear in our minds about what the picture of our successful deliverance should look like. And we must keep that picture in sharp focus until the exposure time is accomplished. Then we will receive our desired results.
However, what happens so often is that all the hubbub of life steals our focus. We might have a lovely picture in view, but our minds get distracted by the obstacles that lay between it and us. Sometimes as we pursue our perfect picture, our minds get blindsided by an unforeseen negative occurrence. These things can rob us of our resolve, but they do not need to stop us. We can use the camera analogy over and over to keep our minds on track.
Another stumbling block that we might encounter is getting impatient. We may feel like we just can’t wait for our picture’s necessary exposure time. This could result in an underdeveloped picture. The results could be okay, but we may miss out on a better solution. We should not settle for a blurry picture.
If you are in a rough patch right now, why not try utilizing the camera analogy in your mind? Get a clear picture of your success and keep it in sharp focus. Do not allow any other images to take precedence over it. Don’t let yourself get talked out of your desired results. And don’t give up if it doesn’t happen right away. Proper exposure time may not be immediate.
Here are a couple of things that I do to help me change my mind and maintain a positive attitude in life’s difficult situations. First, I search God’s Word to find the scriptures that truly speak to my heart in my current circumstance.
For example: Psalm 34:6-10
This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.
These verses can help us with a myriad of troubles.
I put all the scriptures and encouraging comments that I’ve found into a document which I read regularly. This is a continual reminder of what my deliverance picture can and should be; and it helps me stay positive-minded.
Next, I pray, pray, and pray some more. Prayers keep our picture in focus. Prayers bring peace, and peace guards our hearts and minds. When we are peaceful, we can be patient and allow the proper exposure time. Earnestly praying to God allows us to cast our cares on Him and maintain our believing image of victory.
Hebrews 4:16 – Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
It is interesting to note that the law of believing is a universal law. Positive believing brings positive results, and negative believing brings negative results. And the law is not limited by whether we’re Christian or not. BUT consider this – would you rather depend on your own ability or on God’s ability? Do you want to tap into the resources of God or merely lean on your own understanding? The choice is yours. We can come to God with bold believing and receive great success because He has made exceeding great and precious promises unto us. And because of God’s mercy and grace, we can claim those promises in any situation.
No matter what state you’re in right now, your believing matters. Therefore, it behooves us to make every effort to build and maintain positive believing in our lives. Doing this enables us to overcome our troubles, rise above our trials, and enjoy the wonderful possibilities that God has in store for us.
Romans 8:37 says “…we are more than conquers through him that loved us”. We wouldn’t be conquerors at all if there was nothing that needed to be conquered. And we wouldn’t need to be delivered if there was nothing to be delivered from. So, stop focusing on what is wrong, and start focusing on a successful solution. Troubles, trials, and rough patches can occur in anyone’s life and there is no doubt they can be overwhelming. BUT we can overcome any and all of them by believing and accepting God’s help. God is always ready willing and able to deliver us from any hardships we may face. And there is nothing too hard for God! (Jeremiah 32:17)
It is our believing God that brings our deliverance in times of trouble, heartache or need because that believing unleashes God’s matchless power in our lives. God wants His children to be shining examples of His extraordinary kindness, so He withholds no good thing from us. If you are in a rough patch right now, don’t be dismayed. Rather, hold on tightly to your picture of success and thank God for its glorious fulfilment. Your deliverance will come.
Note to my readers: Your victory could be just around the corner. Don’t stop now!
Thanks for reading!
*The camera analogy is taken from the book, The Bible Tells Me So, by Dr. Victor Paul Wierwille; Chapter One, “Release from Your Prisons”.