Have been reading a little booklet called Anchors in the storm by Joe Stowell, living legend. For something so small there’s so much to think about inside it. It’s basically about trials and why God allows them in our lives. I really still need to think a lot more about all the principles he outlined, but I think I should write down a few of these, to help me in the process.
When we suffer, as Christians we need to remember the truths that hold us steady, divorcing in a way our minds from our emotions. There are truths in God’s word that are…well…true despite the difficulty of the situation we’re going through. Just one snippet is the lush verse below.
Very basically 1 Corinthians 10:13 has three truths within it:
"No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face." The commonality of our struggles. Whatever I am going through I am not the first or the last to go through it. I can help other people having been through similar problems, and in the body of Christ (the church) can find people who can help me.
"All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he'll never let you be pushed past your limit;" The bearability of our struggles. God understands our ‘load limit’, even if it doesn’t always feel that way. I have seen this worked out personally; it’s pretty cool.
"he'll always be there to help you come through it." God has supernatural options for getting us out of our place of despair, He can, and will provide ways of helping us out of it.
There is so much more.
God’s power is highlighted very succinctly, and how it is real and can help us. There’s also stuff about the absolute necessity to cling to his Word and his promises because they actually never fail. Then He talks about how there is a purpose in our pain, God’s glory and our growth. The importance of prayer is talked about too – and how even when we kneel there with no words to express our pain the Holy Spirit prays for us! Ultimately God wants to bring good out of our pain. What? How does that work? Like surgery on cancer, a cast on broken bones. I find myself complaining so much when I can’t handle a situation, but God just wants us to grow into the likeness of Christ. Hard stuff. But good stuff.
Ah. Like I said, the booklet is packed, man! There’s so much in it, and I recommend it to anyone, whether you currently feel invincible or like you’re about to lose it. Check it out here.
When we suffer, as Christians we need to remember the truths that hold us steady, divorcing in a way our minds from our emotions. There are truths in God’s word that are…well…true despite the difficulty of the situation we’re going through. Just one snippet is the lush verse below.
Very basically 1 Corinthians 10:13 has three truths within it:
"No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face." The commonality of our struggles. Whatever I am going through I am not the first or the last to go through it. I can help other people having been through similar problems, and in the body of Christ (the church) can find people who can help me.
"All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he'll never let you be pushed past your limit;" The bearability of our struggles. God understands our ‘load limit’, even if it doesn’t always feel that way. I have seen this worked out personally; it’s pretty cool.
"he'll always be there to help you come through it." God has supernatural options for getting us out of our place of despair, He can, and will provide ways of helping us out of it.
There is so much more.
God’s power is highlighted very succinctly, and how it is real and can help us. There’s also stuff about the absolute necessity to cling to his Word and his promises because they actually never fail. Then He talks about how there is a purpose in our pain, God’s glory and our growth. The importance of prayer is talked about too – and how even when we kneel there with no words to express our pain the Holy Spirit prays for us! Ultimately God wants to bring good out of our pain. What? How does that work? Like surgery on cancer, a cast on broken bones. I find myself complaining so much when I can’t handle a situation, but God just wants us to grow into the likeness of Christ. Hard stuff. But good stuff.
Ah. Like I said, the booklet is packed, man! There’s so much in it, and I recommend it to anyone, whether you currently feel invincible or like you’re about to lose it. Check it out here.
