How to Stay in Faith When Bad Things Happen to You

“Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition (sin); but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.” Hebrews 10:38-39

Often times, God is blamed for the calamity that exists in the world and in our individual lives. Miscarriages, accidents, financial loss, health concerns, weather catastrophes and more have been attributed to the handiwork of the Creator. But in reality, God is a good God, regardless of your circumstances, what you think or what you have been taught. "God is a good God" isn’t just the common church lingo, it is actually the Gospel truth (Matthew 19:17). He loves us (John 3:16). How can a loving God justify His love for us if He does bad things to us? If your natural parents/guardians did bad things to you would you think that was good and acceptable? No. The Scriptures are clear and they give us some relevant and insightful principles about how to properly relate to Our Heavenly Father in trying times.

Here are some things to remember concerning your trials and tribulations.

• If you are in a bad situation, and you can't get out of it; it’s like being lost in the forest. You’re lost, but you eventually find your way out somehow. According to 2 Corinthians 4:18, our current circumstances are temporary and are subject to change. Everything changes: kids outgrow diapers, the sun eventually rises, the season changes, and the traffic light turns green a few minutes later.
• You are not alone in your suffering. Your suffering might be different from another person’s pain, and you may think that no one understands your struggle; but we all have and will continue to experience trying times. Even Jesus suffered in the flesh (John 15:18-16:6). Trying times can make you stronger. What happens when you bring two metal edges together? Proverbs 27:7 says that iron sharpens iron. That circumstance can make you better if you work your iron.
• You will never go through anything that you cannot bear [handle] (1 Corinthians 10:13). The path that you are on is specifically designed for you. That doesn’t mean that God designed those problems for you, it simply means that if you are going through it, then God knows that you can handle it. The door unlocked and opened because you had the key. Once the beast is loosed, God has already given you the Sword of the Spirit (the Word of God) to gain victory over the situation (Hebrews 4:12; Ephesians 6:17).
• Know that Romans 8:28 says that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. The things that we go through are just apart of a bigger picture. Let things come together and get worked out.
• Know that God is a deliverer. How can you know that God is a delivering and saving God if He never delivered and saved you from anything? Reading about examples of how God delivered people in the past is one thing, but personally experiencing His delivering power is something entirely different. If good things are always given to you, then how can you appreciate what you have? You will more than likely treasure something for which you physically worked, struggled and sacrificed. It will become apart of you and will be dear to your heart. That is precisely how our faith and the love of God in our hearts grow; we exercise it like a muscle (Romans 5:3-4).
• God never uses bad things to punish us or to teach us a lesson. All bad things come from the enemy of our souls (John 10:10), and God always uses the Holy Spirit to teach us (John 16:13). Sickness, lack and calamity are all apart of the Deuteronomy 28 curse from which Jesus redeemed us (Galatians 3:13-14). Always remember that every good and perfect gift comes from God (James 1:16-17). If sickness, lack and all of the bad stuff that we go through comes from God, then shouldn’t we want what God has for us? Our good God never gives people bad things. He is pure, holy and righteous.
• Exercise faith and patience when going through your situation (Hebrews 10:36; James 1:2-4). Your problem is not going to disappear because you pray a few times; use your faith in the Word of God and patience, and let the situation run its course. God will never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5)
• Remember that when you are going through a test, trial, persecution, etc. you should go through it and don’t stop, complain and be whiner. If you’re being tested, it means that you are a threat to the enemy and his kingdom. This is a spiritual battle (Ephesians 6:12) that can manifest in the natural. Accept the challenge! For example, someone might crash into your car, and the insurance company may refuse to pay for the damages. Are you going to be moved by the situation with tears and frustration, or are you going to confess God’s Word and stand on His promise that “No weapon that’s formed against you will prosper,” and that “He’ll take the bad and turn it into your good,” and that “you have favor with God and man,” and that “He’ll cause people to bless you.” Take Satan’s attack as a compliment. He is only bothering people who are causing him problems. If he wants to start a fight with you, then you need to end it by standing on the promises of God and enforcing his defeat that Jesus won for us.
• Sometimes we omit things and sometimes we do the wrong thing. Both of these things open the door to problems. For example, people take family members for granted, and when the family member dies, people feel guilty and regretful about past situations. Guilt and condemnation are not from God, but all of this could have been avoided with a little bit of communication; but it was omitted, and people have to deal with the consequences. In terms of committing the wrong act, everything that we suffer is not an attack of the enemy. If you get liver disease after drinking whiskey for 30 years, there’s no need for you to try to cast the devil out of anyone; he isn’t in people’s liver. Omitting the right thing and committing the wrong acts open the door to bad things in our lives. The devil isn’t omnipresent (everywhere at the same time) but many times he sets failure traps for us, and progressively we dig ourselves into a hole.
• Always be thankful. Someone’s situation is always worse than your’s. If you are reading this, it means that you aren’t in Hell, so your situation could be worse than it is right now.

Take a few moments and think about these insights. They are simple, yet profound, and they will help you to stay focused, grounded and unwavering in turbulent times. Go enforce the victory that Christ has already won for us. Don’t let the enemy’s smokescreen throw your perspective off. You are always a victor in Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57), so go win. Live well!