5 Ways God Uses Problems. (Sept Newsletter)
The problems you face will either defeat you or develop you- depending on how you respond to them. Unfortunately many people fail to see how God wants to use problems for the good in their lives. They react foolishly an resent their problems rather than pausing to consider what benefit they might ring. Here are five ways God wants to us problems in your life:
1. God uses problems to DIRECT you. Sometimes God must light a fire under you to get you moving. Problems often point us in a new direction and motivate us to change. Is God trying to get your attention? “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5,6
2. God uses problems to INSPECT you. People are like tea bags …if you want to know what’s inside them, just drop them into hot water! Has God tested your faith with a problem? What do problems reveal about you? “When you have many kind of troubles, you should be full of joy, because you know that these troubles test your faith, and this will give you patience.” James 1:2-3.
3. God uses problems to CORRECT you. Some lessons we learn only through pain and failure. It’s likely as a child your parents told you not to touch a hot stove. But you probably learned the hard way by being burned later. Sometimes we only learn the value of something by losing it.
“It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statues.” Psalm 119:72
4. God uses problems to PROTECT you. A problem can be a blessing in disguise if it prevents you from being harmed by something more serious. I’ve seen where people have been let go from employment places only to find out the employers were unethical and they later found better employment opportunities rather than in a toxic environment. “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for God. Genesis 50:20
5. God uses problems to PERFECT you. Problems when responded to correctly, are character builders. God is far more interested in your character than your comfort. Your relationship to God and your character are the only two things you’re going to take with you into eternity.
“We can rejoice when we run into problems ….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.” Romans 5:3-4.
Here’s the point: God is at work in your life – even when you don’t recognize it or understand it.
1. God uses problems to DIRECT you. Sometimes God must light a fire under you to get you moving. Problems often point us in a new direction and motivate us to change. Is God trying to get your attention? “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5,6
2. God uses problems to INSPECT you. People are like tea bags …if you want to know what’s inside them, just drop them into hot water! Has God tested your faith with a problem? What do problems reveal about you? “When you have many kind of troubles, you should be full of joy, because you know that these troubles test your faith, and this will give you patience.” James 1:2-3.
3. God uses problems to CORRECT you. Some lessons we learn only through pain and failure. It’s likely as a child your parents told you not to touch a hot stove. But you probably learned the hard way by being burned later. Sometimes we only learn the value of something by losing it.
“It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statues.” Psalm 119:72
4. God uses problems to PROTECT you. A problem can be a blessing in disguise if it prevents you from being harmed by something more serious. I’ve seen where people have been let go from employment places only to find out the employers were unethical and they later found better employment opportunities rather than in a toxic environment. “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for God. Genesis 50:20
5. God uses problems to PERFECT you. Problems when responded to correctly, are character builders. God is far more interested in your character than your comfort. Your relationship to God and your character are the only two things you’re going to take with you into eternity.
“We can rejoice when we run into problems ….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.” Romans 5:3-4.
Here’s the point: God is at work in your life – even when you don’t recognize it or understand it.
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