{"id":23589,"date":"2018-07-30T03:30:49","date_gmt":"2018-07-30T10:30:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/?p=23589"},"modified":"2018-07-26T11:57:15","modified_gmt":"2018-07-26T18:57:15","slug":"july-30-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/2018\/07\/30\/july-30-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"July 30, 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"
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“Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever.\u00a0 They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.\u00a0 Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear; in the end they will look up in triumph on their foes.”\u00a0<\/em>Psalm 112:6-8<\/p>\n

Living Above<\/strong><\/h2>\n

There’s an area of survival that I’ve been learning over these many months. Choosing to trust and not worry helps us learn to “live above our circumstances.”\u00a0The only way to get through a long, hard trial is “one day at a time.”\u00a0And to do that, to survive day by day, we have to learn to live above our circumstances.<\/p>\n

It sounds simple, but it takes consciously, continually trusting the Lord. Without that, we get mired down in our trials.\u00a0We get discouraged, and ultimately we become defeated.\u00a0The enemy can have a heyday in our minds when this happens.<\/p>\n

When Job was in the midst of his trials, he didn’t lose his trust in God.\u00a0“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart.\u00a0The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised”\u00a0<\/em>(Job\u00a01:21). He goes on later to say, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him”\u00a0<\/em>(Job\u00a013:15). Job went through some pretty rough trials, yet I think He learned to live above his circumstances because He understood who God was and he trusted Him completely.<\/p>\n

When we’re going through a hard trial, understanding will fail us and let us down, but trust will keep us close to Him. I rarely “understand” fully what the trial is all about.\u00a0In fact, I have a few questions I’d really like to ask the Lord someday!\u00a0But what helps me keep going is trusting Him, which in turn keeps me close to His heart.<\/p>\n

When we face hard things and trials surround us, we are tempted to find someone or something to blame.\u00a0We often complain.\u00a0We immediately try to find answers and solutions.\u00a0We can become angry that God “allowed” the trial. We can start asking all the “why” questions.\u00a0None of these paths will actually help us.\u00a0They will only complicate the hard situation.<\/p>\n

But there are a few “keys” that I’ve found to be helpful. If you have time, look up the Scriptures listed after each one:<\/p>\n

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  1. We need to immediately cast our burdens and cares on Him.\u00a0There is no benefit in holding on to them ourselves and trying to find our own solutions. (1 Peter 5:7)<\/li>\n
  2. We need to recognize (declare!!) that God is able to take care of us in the circumstances, in the trial, that we are walking through.\u00a0He is bigger than ANY problem we are facing.\u00a0Pray that out to Him.\u00a0Thank Him for His greatness, His power, and His love for you.\u00a0(Isaiah 55:8, 9)<\/li>\n
  3. We need to seek\u00a0His\u00a0<\/u>counsel.\u00a0It’s wonderful to talk to friends or get the input of others.\u00a0But\u00a0most\u00a0<\/u>important is to go to God and seek His counsel for the trial we’re walking through.\u00a0Sometimes the more we talk about a situation, the worse it becomes.\u00a0We need to spend time with God and seek His perspective, His heart, and His counsel.\u00a0(Proverbs 3:5,6)<\/li>\n
  4. Remember that circumstances may change, but God doesn’t! He is the same yesterday, today, forever.\u00a0He is the Rock we can stand on;\u00a0He is our refuge in the stormy trials.\u00a0He is our place of safety and security.\u00a0(Malachi 3:6)<\/li>\n
  5. We need to trust! Don’t let anything shake our trust in Him. Stand against the lies of the enemy that would make us think He’s not trustworthy, or that it’s God’s fault that we are in the trial we’re facing. (Psalm\u00a09:10)<\/li>\n
  6. We must keep worshiping and praising Him in the midst of the hard times. Worship lifts the weight of heaviness that grips our hearts in the trial.\u00a0Worship helps keep our focus on Him, allowing Him to pour truth, grace, peace, and strength into our hearts.\u00a0(1 Thessalonians\u00a05:18)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \u201cLord, help us to focus on You in our hard times, for we trust You. Amen.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

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