In order to keep going, even when life throws tough situations our way, there are three things we can do. 1) Expand our concept of God. We can do that by reading His Word and getting to know Him better. What is our God like? Loving or judgmental? Distant or available? Limited or powerful? Our concept of God will determine how much we trust in Him, so it’s really important that we spend time getting to know Him. 2) Recognise Satan’s limitations. The only power he has over us is the power we give him by remaining ‘unaware of his schemes’ (2 Corinthians 2:11 NIV). The Bible says, ‘Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you’ (James 4:7 NIV). We have power over Satan – let’s use it. 3) See ourselves as God sees us. He sees us not just as we are, but as we will be. If our past experiences have led us to see ourselves as worthless, we can change our self-image by believing what God says about us in His Word. He tells us that we’re loved. We’re His children. We’re accepted and chosen. And when we have His opinion, and learn to believe it, we won’t be so concerned with what other people think about us (have a read of Jeremiah 29:11, Ephesians 2:10, and 1 John 3:1). As we work on these three things each day, we’ll be able to remain positive and close to God, no matter what we’re facing. And when we persevere through the tough times, we ‘will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him’ (James 1:12 NIV). 

What Now?

Which of the three things in today’s reading do you need to work on? Take some time to work on it today.