Some Christians respond suc - cessfully to adversity. By “successfully,” I mean that despite the adversity in their lives, their faith is strengthened, their walk with God grows, and they continue to draw close to Him and receive His blessings and provision for their lives.
Unfortunately, not every Christian re - sponds well to adversity. Some people are de - feated rather than victorious as they face life’s many problems. Instead of praising God and walking in faith and perseverance, they de - velop a “woe is me” attitude. Adversity has no beneficial effect because of their response. There are certain principles we can apply that will help us respond to adversity successfully.
EXPECT ADVERSITY
The key to overcoming adversity is to re - alize it is the norm in the Christian life. This does not mean that believers should seek out adversity or trouble. This does not mean we should consider every problem an attack from Satan. It just means we should realize that, like all people, God’s blessed and loved peo - ple will face adversity.
Because this is true, none of us should be surprised by adversity; rather, we should expect it. Jesus Himself said, “In this world you will have trouble, but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). The apostle Paul said, “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). The apostle Peter said, “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering as though something strange were happening to you” (1 Peter 4:12). James, Jesus’ brother, said, “Con - sider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds” (James 1:2). No matter how spiritual or faithful, every believer will face troubles and trials. We should ex - pect adversity; recognizing it will help us overcome adversity successfully.
PERSEVERE DURING ADVERSITY
If we want to be spiritually successful and expe - rience the blessed life God intends for us, we must be strong in our faith. This will enable us to perse - vere during adversity.
Life can be unfair. People and circumstances can harm you. Those you trusted may steal from you—possessions, position, or reputation. When this happens, you will have a choice: to look back at what has been lost or to look ahead in faith, wait - ing for God to provide.
BELIEVE GOD WILL BLESS
Christians must persevere to overcome adver - sity. I do not believe humans by themselves are capable of overcoming any obstacle to ultimately achieve success. Believers persevere, not because they believe in the power of perseverance, but rather because they believe in the power of God. Believ - ers are able to endure and persevere because they know that God can bless them despite adversity. We are able to overcome adversity if we believe God can bless us in spite of it. We must be able to say, “God blessed me once, and He can do it again.”
GOOD CAN COME FROM ADVERSITY
We will be able to face and respond to troubles and trials with courage if we recognize the good that God can bring out of them. You may say to yourself, “I can see that God can bless despite ad - versity, but does anything good really come out of it?” The answer is “Yes!”
Our troubles can actually become blessings. How? First, they can draw us closer to God. Adversity can bring us into a deeper relationship with our heavenly Father, the One who loves us beyond measure.
The second possible good result of adversity is that others may see the wonderful way in which the Lord is working through our adversity. The prob - lems in our lives often provide an opportunity for others to see and glorify God!
Perhaps you are experiencing setbacks, opposi - tion, failures, heartbreak, or loss. Do not give up. Remember these four principles, and keep your faith in God’s strength so that you can overcome adversity successfully.
Jonas Arrais General Conference Associate Ministerial Secretary
