Hard times could be anything to us, but the truth is they don’t last.
No one can escape them as they are part of the building blocks of life.
It is however important how we go through them.
The following are guidelines for going through hard times victoriously.
- Focus on the end in mind.
Hard times are part of life’s journey and they are meant to bring glory to God through the victory we achieve. Immediate gratification is the reason why many have lost out in this glory. The Bible encourages us not to give in to instant gratification as the suffering of now cannot be compared to the glory that is to be revealed.
“For I consider [from the standpoint of faith] that the sufferings of the present life are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is about to be revealed to us and in us!”
Romans 8:18 AMP
2. Count the cost and be ready to pay it.
What do I have to lose?
When Daniel purposed in his heart not to defile himself with the meal served from the King’s table, he realized there were consequences but what was at stake was more than facing the wrath of the king. You need to know what is at stake but not be deterred by it. Daniel ended up in a class of his own among the Eunuchs, but this was not without paying a huge price.
That glory that is to be revealed has a cost, you must be ready to pay.
3. Be ready to suffer.
It will be an illusion to think that as Christians we will not suffer. When the Bible says Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith and that we are complete in Him, there is no way we could have taken out the part of suffering because He suffered to attain the level of glory he transferred to us through His resurrection.
The system of the world is designed for the world and as long as we try to leave righteously, we will always go against the established world system. This will lead to persecution. Stories of ladies sexually harassed by bosses and refused to give in abound. Some of the ladies end up being sacked, demoted, posted to demeaning work or made stagnant. It would seem that because such lady is upright, God should immediately compensate her. No, it doesn’t always work like that but the good thing is it will always end well once the test is passed.
“Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”
2 Timothy 3:12 KJV
4. Understand the source of the hard time
There are hard times that are self made and there are others that are part of God’s plan to bring salvation to the individual. They are not the same in the way they are to be treated. The letter requires total trust in God and faithful to His word while the former requires genuine repentance from whatever is the cause. It may be that the individual needs to reverse some decisions taken and seek a new direction.
We should not be blindsided to which we are experiencing so that we know how to address it.
5. Know that hard times are good.
Hard times are the promotion examination of life. When you pass, you go to the next level but if you fail, you will have to retake the exam.
Knowing this, we should be excited during hard times ‘cause we know it is the beginning of an uplifting.
We are encouraged to count it all joy when we fall into diverse temptations (James 1:2).
Let me end this piece with words from the song ‘Count it all Joy’ by the Winans;
“Count it all joy
Even when it seems so hard to
Know He’ll never give you more
Than you can handle”
God bless you.
Akindele Afolabi
Christian Employee Series