Sources Of Trouble
Tuesday August 18, 2015
Where does trouble come from? Three main sources of trouble are: 1) Our Fallen World: We live in a world that is broken down because of sinful choices down through the ages. 2) Ourselves: We are drawn into evil by our own lusts and desires. And, sometimes LIFE JUST HAPPENS and we will not understand why. 3) Satanic Attack: Satan never ceases to harass the children of God and at times we co-operate with the thoughts and suggestions he makes.
Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour … But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty … Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. (1 Peter 5:8, 2 Peter 3:1, James 1:14-15 NLT)
What should we do when we find ourselves in trouble? The first thing we should do is to come before God and, through prayer, ask Him to reveal the source of our trouble. We ask for insight into any way we might have failed to obey God’s instructions. We may have given into temptation and followed our hearts desire rather than the ways of God. When we are the primary source of our trouble then we need to repent and turn from our sinful actions and receive God’s forgiveness so that we can get back on track. Many times a refocusing of our thoughts on God and His promises fills us up so that negative troubling thoughts from the evil one can no longer find space to harass us. This is what the Bible speaks about when we are encouraged to “take our thoughts captive.” Based on what God says, we resist the devil and he will flee from us. We can then draw close to God and ask Him to fill us with His perfect peace and comfort.
We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NLT)
God’s word is full of practical strategies on how to face and overcome troubles. His word helps us identify the source of the trouble. His promises help us face the trouble and we are assured of victory through faith in the power of God to overcome any adversity. Our part is to simply look to God in times of trouble and trust in His care and wisdom to show us a safe way through.
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