There is plenty of adversity to go around in the world today. Adversity means a state or instance of serious or continued difficulty or misfortune. You can also relate it to the word adversary, which is someone opposed or against us. In fact, the Hebrew word for adversary is satan.
John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
The Bible has plenty to say about adversity and trials – the people in the Bible went through them. But it also tells us how we should believe, and act, and what we should focus on while we encounter adversity.
Believing in Deliverance
1 Peter 1:3-8 AMP Praised (honored, blessed) be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah)! By His boundless mercy we have been born again to an ever-living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 [Born anew] into an inheritance which is beyond the reach of change and decay [imperishable], unsullied and unfading, reserved in heaven for you,
5 Who are being guarded (garrisoned) by God’s power through [your] faith [till you fully inherit that final] salvation that is ready to be revealed [for you] in the last time.
6 [You should] be exceedingly glad on this account, though now for a little while you may be distressed by trials and suffer temptations,
7 So that [the genuineness] of your faith may be tested, [your faith] which is infinitely more precious than the perishable gold which is tested and purified by fire. [This proving of your faith is intended] to redound to [your] praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) is revealed.
8 Without having seen Him, you love Him; though you do not [even] now see Him, you believe in Him and exult and thrill with inexpressible and glorious (triumphant, heavenly) joy.
Protected by Faith
Vs. 5 we are kept – protected, guarded, encompassed about with a garrison – by the power of God through our faith until the final salvation is revealed – i.e., when we make it to our heavenly home either through death or the rapture. The inheritance that is reserved for us is for heaven, but the protection is for the here and now. We are protected by the power of God, but notice that it is through our faith. The protection is not all up to God, we have a part to play in it also – our faith.
This is an almost universal principle regarding any promise of God – we have a big part to play in receiving the benefits of that promise, and that is our faith and belief and trust in Him and what He has said.
God’s protection is for those who trust in Him. Read Psalm 91, that great psalm of protection; you’ll see that it is those who have made God their refuge, who have set their love on Him, and who trust in Him, that get the supernatural protection.
Another thing we must know is that faith in one area does not necessarily translate to faith in other areas. Because you have faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior does not necessarily translate into faith in Him as your Healer or as your Provider. To be protected by the power of God in this life, we must have faith in that protection.
Vs. 6 “Be exceedingly glad on this account…” On what account? That we are protected by the power of God by faith. “…even though now we might be distressed by various trials.”
Wait – isn’t that a contradiction? How can we be protected and go through various trials at the same time?
We are protected by the power of God through faith. If we trust and rely on God and His word to the fullest extent, we enjoy the fullest extent of His protection. That protection comes via His promises.
Am I saying if I had “perfect” faith I would never have any problems? Absolutely not. The attacks and challenges would still come. Why? Because there is tribulation in the world, and we are in the world. Plus, we have an enemy whose desire is to steal kill, and destroy (Jn 10:10).
God’s protection does not come in the form of never being attacked, or never having difficult times, but in deliverance.
Always
Look at how many times Psalm 34 talks about deliverance:
Psalms 34:4 I sought the Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears.
Psalms 34:6 This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles.
Psalms 34:7 The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them.
Psalms 34:9-10 Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him.
10 The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.
Psalms 34:17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles.
Psalms 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all.
Think of the person who wrote this psalm, David. Did he have troubles? Yes, in abundance. But in every case, God delivered him.
Do you have fear and anxiety? The Lord will deliver you from your fears and out of what you are afraid of. Vs. 4.
Vs. 6 Do you have money troubles? What kind of troubles does a poor man have? He will deliver you out of all your financial problems. And just in case you thought the psalmist is not talking about money, look at vs. 9 and 10 – there is no want or lack for those that fear Him. Those that seek the Lord will not lack any good thing.
Vs. 7 the angel of the Lord encamps around those that fear Him. That’s the garrison like it talks about in 1 Peter.
Vs. 17 You got troubles? The Lord will deliver you out of them all.
Notice how many times it says all in these verses?
Vs. 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous. Jesus said, “In the world you shall have tribulation”. But the Lord delivers us out of them all.
In the New Testament, here is a verse:
2 Corinthians 2:14 KJV Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.
Other translations say “… He leads us in triumph in Christ”. The reference is to the Roman practice of the conquering army returning home and marching through the streets to the cheering crowds, leading the vanquished prisoners. We are part of the conquering army. I like how the Message bible says it:
2 Corinthians 2:14 MSG And I got it, thank God! In the Messiah, in Christ, God leads us from place to place in one perpetual victory parade. Through us, he brings knowledge of Christ. Everywhere we go, people breathe in the exquisite fragrance.
“Well, you can’t always win. Sometimes you will suffer defeat.”
It’s too bad that God doesn’t know that. Because He says always. We need to stop changing what the Word says to make up for our lack of experience. We need to believe God that our experience will be brought up to the level of the Word of God.
Sure, there will be times when you take some hits. But the war is not over, unless you quit. I like what I heard one preacher say: “I don’t play nine inning ball games. I play ‘till I win.”
We need to build our expectation that we will be delivered. “Well, sometimes God doesn’t deliver us from things, but He delivers us through things. Sometimes you have to go through the valleys”. Then they quote the 23rd Psalm, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.”
Did you read the whole psalm? Firstly, “fear no evil” doesn’t just mean that you won’t be afraid, it means the evil can’t touch you. Secondly, look at the next couple of verses:
Psalms 23:5-6 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.
“In the presence of my enemies” – that means while you’re in that valley of the shadow of death. While you are there, God prepares a table for you – He provides for you. And it’s not just a barely enough portion – your cup is running over. So much so that you say that goodness and mercy are following you around, all the days of your life.
The key word here is “through”. The problem is that many Christians are camping out in that valley or in the wilderness, and think that is their lot in life, and God’s will for them. No no!
The Testing of our Faith
Vs. 7 “… the genuineness of your faith, being tested…”
What does it mean to test for genuineness? Is it the real thing, or a fake/imitation/just for show? It is the genuine faith that will be to praise, honor, and glory of Jesus Christ at His revelation.
A lot of Christians look at trials as an end to themselves. Just going through a trial or difficult time does nothing for you – the world does that all the time. If you go through the trial in the same way that the world does, you’ll gain no spiritual benefit. It is your reaction to a trial that is important, not just the fact that you went through something. And how you react to a trial will depend on the deposit that is already inside you.
Many Christians look at this passage, and James 1:2-4, and conclude that trials grow your faith. But that’s not what the word says; it says that trials test your faith. If just going through trials caused your faith to grow, then those people who had the most trouble in their life should be the ones with the most faith. But we know that is not the case.
Think of school: what is the purpose of a test? To find out if you know what you are supposed to know. Although it is possible to learn something from a test, its main purpose is not to teach you. The test is the opportunity to put into practice that which you have learned.
If an attack comes, and you exercise genuine faith, and are delivered, that has great benefit. You will be stronger. You will have a testimony. You will have “gold, silver, and precious stones” at the judgment seat of Christ.
In the same way that gold/silver/precious stones will be distinguished from wood/hay/stubble (our works done in the body) at the judgment seat of Christ by testing it with fire (see 1 Cor 3:11-15), so a trial will distinguish genuine faith from going through the motions and speaking clichés.
When everything is going well, it is easy to maintain a positive attitude and say the right things. It is when you are under pressure that what you really believe will come out. What comes out of you is determined by what you put into you.
Matthew 12:34 Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
Can You Grow through Trials?
Yes, absolutely. Wait – am I contradicting what I just said? No. Again, it is our reaction to the trial – what we do during it – that is going to determine our growth.
If it causes you to seek God more, that will bring growth.
If you resist in faith. That will bring growth. It takes striving against opposition to build muscle.
Magnify the Lord
What are we to do in response to a trial, with these facts in mind?
1 Peter 1:8-9 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
9 receiving the end of your faith–the salvation of your souls.
Whom having not seen, you love. We must love God, and not get mad at Him (or at least don’t stay mad) for things that happen to us.
2 Corinthians 4:17-18 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,
18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Paul, who had a lot of experience with afflictions and persecutions, calls them momentary and light. This is quite amazing, when you read the list of things he went through in 1 Corinthians 11. How could he maintain such an attitude?
It has a great deal to do with what you are looking at. If we continue to concentrate and meditate on our circumstances (that’s what worrying is – meditating on our problems), they will become magnified in our eyes. They will get bigger and bigger until we lose all hope. But, anything that is seen – or perceived by the senses – is temporary and subject to change.
What will be our thoughts about the problems we have gone through in this life, once we get to heaven? They will seem totally insignificant and of no comparison to the over- whelming glory and joy we will be experiencing. That is because our vision will be filled with God – bigger than anything.
So a key to maintaining a proper perspective through a trial is to magnify God, rather than the problems.
Vine’s Expository Dictionary says that the Hebrew word translated magnify is gadal, meaning to become strong, grow up, be great or wealthy, evidence oneself as great (magnified), be powerful, significant, or valuable. Strong’s Concordance says that the literal meaning is to make large.
Now nothing we do can actually change God’s greatness. He is already big without our help. But we should think of it as similar to looking at something through a magnifying glass, telescope, or pair of binoculars. It changes our perception. It makes things look bigger in our sight. It makes things look closer and more accessible.
When we magnify God it makes Him look bigger and our problems look smaller.
We’ve already looked at a number of verses in Psalm 34; here are some more:
Psalms 34:1-3 A Psalm of David when he pretended madness before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed. I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together.
Back to 1 Peter: Though even now you don’t see Him, you believe. Believe what? In His promise, and that He has your best interests at heart.
You rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory.
Rejoice On Purpose
The key to going through a tough time without falling apart is to trust God and rejoice.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always,
17 pray without ceasing,
18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
Rejoice when and how often? Always!
“But I don’t feel like rejoicing, I feel depressed.”
Rejoicing isn’t a feeling – it’s something you do.
Psalms 118:24 This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.
Notice we will rejoice. I.e., rejoicing is an act of your will. We need to rejoice on purpose. Joy is a state of being; it is listed in Gal 5:22 as one of the fruit of the Spirit. We can start rejoicing on purpose, as an act of our will, and it will “prime the pump” to get the fruit of the Spirit of joy flowing.
The best example of someone who rejoiced on purpose was the Apostle Paul. In Acts 16:16-25 you can read about Paul and Silas coming to Philippi to preach, and then being arrested, beaten, and thrown into prison with their feet in stocks for casting a demon out of a fortune telling slave girl. Were they griping about their situation? Were they wondering if they had missed God and that’s why this happened to them? No. They were singing hymns and praises to God at midnight. They were rejoicing!
And what did God do? He sent a supernatural earthquake that opened all the prison doors, and caused their chains to fall off. The jailer was going to commit suicide because he thought all the prisoners had escaped, but Paul hollers out “Don’t harm yourself, we are all here!” That was another miracle – that the other prisoners did not run away. The jailer got saved, took Paul and Silas into his home and his whole family got saved. And that was the beginning of the church of Philippi.
No wonder then that one of the themes of the letter to the Philippians was rejoicing. In that letter Paul also said:
Philippians 4:10-13 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity.
11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:
12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Paul had plenty of afflictions; more than average, because he was on the front lines of spreading the gospel to the Gentiles. Yet the Lord delivered him out of them all, until such time that his course was finished.
What about his imprisonment in Rome? He was never delivered from that.
Paul was warned by the Lord on more than one occasion that the path he was taking would lead to his imprisonment, but that there would be fruit for the gospel along that path. I believe the Lord gave Paul a choice. And Paul’s choice was that he was willing to be imprisoned, and even die if need be, for the sake of the gospel (Acts 21:13).
Cultivating Joy
Joy is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22). Fruit of the Spirit is grown in us by abiding in the vine.
John 15:4-8 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
The word abide means to live in, to remain, to make your home in. It is describing a lifestyle of fellowship with the Lord. You know how who you are hanging around with will rub off on you? That’s the idea. Hang around with Jesus, through prayer, worship, and getting into His word (note the reference to letting His words abide in us in vs. 7) and He’ll rub off on you. You’ll start acting like Him. That’s what the fruit of the Spirit is, the character of God manifested in the believer.
It’s unfortunate how artists and some actors have portrayed Jesus as being this weak looking individual who was always solemn. I suppose they got that from Isa 53:3, He was a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. He was acquainted with grief, but that doesn’t mean He lived His life steeped in it. The death of His (foster/step) father Joseph is one event that comes to mind where he would be acquainted with sorrow and grief.
No, He was a vibrant individual, full of joy. Kids loved Him. Children are not drawn to someone who is an old sorry sack all the time. And here is a verse about the Messiah:
Psalms 45:7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.
Joy through Answered Prayer
John 14:12-14 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
John 15:7-8 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
John 15:11 These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.
John 16:23-24 And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.
24 Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
Have you experienced a miracle in answered prayer? Didn’t that fill you full of joy?
Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.
There is a certain level of joy you get when God answers a material desire – something you have been believing for for a long time, and it comes to pass. But the greatest joy is when God uses you as an instrument of deliverance in other people’s lives. When the person you witness to gets saved. When the person you lay hands on gets supernaturally healed. When the people you teach get what you are teaching, and it changes their lives.
It was this joy that kept Paul going through all the trials he encountered. It was even this joy that enabled Jesus to endure the cross.
Hebrews 12:2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
What was the joy set before Jesus? Knowing that His sacrifice would reconcile the human race back to God, any that would receive Him.
