KEEPING THE FAITH WHILE GOING THROUGH DIFFICULT TIMES!

When Life Gets Hard, Hold On to God Even Tighter

Key Scripture:
“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” — 2 Corinthians 5:7 (KJV)

Thought Of The Day....
There are seasons in life when keeping the faith is easier said than done.
It is easy to declare, “God is good!” when everything is going well. It is easy to shout when the bills are paid, the family is getting along, your body feels strong, your marriage is peaceful, your children are doing well, and the doors you have been praying for are opening.
But what happens when life gets difficult?
What happens when you pray—and the situation doesn't immediately change?
What happens when the doctor's report concerns you? When your body is hurting and you are tired of hurting? When your finances are stretched beyond what you can see? When there is tension between husband and wife? When your children are struggling or making decisions that keep you awake at night? When relationships in your family become strained?
Can you still trust God when you don't understand what God is doing?
That is where faith becomes more than something we talk about.
Faith becomes something we live.
Hebrews 11:1 declares:
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Faith does not mean pretending everything is okay.
Faith says, “Everything may not be okay right now, but I know the One who is holding me while I go through it.”

FAITH DOESN'T DENY THE DIFFICULTY—IT DECLARES THAT GOD IS GREATER
Sometimes Christians mistakenly believe that having faith means we cannot acknowledge that something hurts.
But David cried.
Job grieved.
Jeremiah wept.
Paul experienced suffering.
Even Jesus wept.
Faith doesn't require you to deny your pain. Faith requires you not to allow your pain to become greater than your confidence in God.
You can have tears in your eyes and still have faith in your heart.
You can say:
“Lord, I'm hurting, but I trust You.”
“Lord, I'm tired, but I'm still following You.”
“Lord, I don't understand, but I still believe You.”
“Lord, I don't know how this is going to work out, but I know You are still God.”
Psalm 34:17 reminds us:
“The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.”
Your trouble has God's attention.

WHEN YOUR DIFFICULT TIME IS YOUR HEALTH
Few things test our faith like problems in our bodies.
When sickness comes, procedures are necessary, pain continues, or doctors don't have all the answers, fear can begin whispering:
“What if things get worse?”
But faith responds:
“What if God carries me through?”
Your faith isn't based upon whether you immediately receive the report you desire. Your faith is anchored in the character of the God who promised:
“I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” — Hebrews 13:5
When your body is weak, God remains strong.
When you don't know what tomorrow holds, God is already standing in your tomorrow.
Keep praying. Keep believing. Keep seeking appropriate medical care. Keep trusting God one day at a time.

WHEN YOUR DIFFICULT TIME IS FINANCIAL!
Financial pressure can affect almost every area of life.
Bills keep coming.
Unexpected expenses happen.
The money doesn't seem to stretch far enough.
You may look at what you have and wonder, “Lord, how am I going to make it?”
Remember what Paul declared:
“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” — Philippians 4:19
Notice Paul said “my God.”
Your source is bigger than your paycheck.
That doesn't mean we shouldn't budget, plan, save, work, or make wise financial decisions. But after you have done what you can do, don't allow financial pressure to convince you that God has forgotten you.
The same God who provided yesterday is still God today.

WHEN THE DIFFICULT TIME IS IN YOUR MARRIAGE
Sometimes the storm isn't outside the house.
Sometimes the storm is inside the house.
Husband and wife may love each other but still experience seasons of disagreement, disappointment, communication problems, financial stress, hurt feelings, or emotional distance.
During those seasons, the enemy wants you to concentrate exclusively on what is wrong.
But Ecclesiastes 4:12 reminds us:
“…a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”
Husband. Wife. God.
Don't allow a difficult chapter to convince you that the entire story is over.
Pray before reacting.
Listen before assuming.
Forgive instead of keeping score.
Communicate instead of withdrawing.
And when needed, seek wise, godly counsel.
Sometimes faith means believing God can heal what has been wounded, restore what has been damaged, and rebuild what has been weakened.

WHEN YOUR DIFFICULT TIME INVOLVES YOUR CHILDREN
There is a special kind of pain that comes when your children are struggling.
You raised them.
You prayed for them.
You taught them.
You tried to guide them.
Yet there comes a time when you cannot make every decision for them.
That's when you have to remember:
Your children may get beyond your reach, but they can never get beyond God's reach.
Proverbs 22:6 says:
“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
Keep praying.
Keep loving.
Keep speaking truth.
Keep setting healthy boundaries.
And keep trusting God with the parts of their lives that you cannot control.
God knows exactly where your children are.

DON'T LET A HARD SEASON MAKE YOU FORGET A FAITHFUL GOD
One of the enemy's strategies during difficult seasons is to make you forget everything God has already brought you through.
Remember the prayers He has already answered.
Remember the doors He has already opened.
Remember the times you thought you weren't going to make it—but somehow God carried you through.
David faced Goliath with confidence because he remembered the lion and the bear.
Sometimes today's battle requires you to remember yesterday's deliverance.
Psalm 77:11 declares:
“I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old.”
If God carried you before, He has not lost His ability to carry you now.

YOUR DIFFICULT SEASON HAS AN EXPIRATION DATE!
Psalm 30:5 declares:
“…weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”
Notice Scripture says weeping may endure.
That means you may cry for a season.
You may struggle for a season.
You may have questions for a season.
You may feel overwhelmed for a season.
But seasons change.
Don't make permanent decisions based on temporary circumstances.
Don't abandon your faith because life became difficult.
Don't stop praying because the answer hasn't arrived.
Don't stop worshiping because you're hurting.
Don't stop believing because you cannot see what God is doing.
Galatians 6:9 declares:
“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”
Your responsibility is not to figure everything out.
Your responsibility is to keep trusting the One who already has.

WHEN YOU CAN'T SEE HIS HAND, TRUST HIS HEART
You may not understand this season.
You may not understand why God allowed it.
You may not know when circumstances will change.
But one thing remains certain:
God has not abandoned you.
Isaiah 43:2 says:
“When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee…”
God didn't say if you go through the waters.
He said when.
But He also promised:
“I will be with thee.”
That's the promise.
You are going through it.
You're not building your house in it.
You're not making your permanent residence in it.
You're going THROUGH it!
So keep praying.
Keep worshiping.
Keep believing.
Keep standing.
Keep trusting.
And above everything else—
KEEP THE FAITH!
Because the same God who kept you before the storm is the God who will keep you in the storm, and He will still be God when you come out of the storm!

PRAYER...
Heavenly Father,
We come before You in the mighty name of Jesus, acknowledging that You are our refuge, our strength, our provider, our healer, our defender, and our ever-present help in trouble.
Father, someone reading this devotional is going through a difficult season right now.
For some, it is their health.
For others, it is their finances.
For someone else, it is their marriage, their children, or another family relationship.
Some are fighting battles they haven't told anyone about. They smile publicly while crying privately. They encourage everybody else while secretly wondering, “Lord, when will my situation change?”
Father, strengthen them!
Where there is fear, release faith.
Where there is confusion, release peace.
Where there is weakness, release strength.
Where there is discouragement, release hope.
Where there is sickness, we ask for healing and sustaining grace.
Where there is financial pressure, provide wisdom, resources, opportunities, and provision.
Where marriages are struggling, bring communication, forgiveness, understanding, restoration, and renewed love.
Where parents are concerned about their children, remind them that their children are still in Your hands.
Father, silence every voice of fear telling us that our situation is hopeless.
Remind us that You are still God!
We may not understand the process, but we trust the Potter.
We may not understand the storm, but we trust the One who commands the winds and the waves.
We may not know what tomorrow holds, but we know Who holds tomorrow.
Give us faith that will stand when circumstances tell us to quit.
Give us faith that will worship while we're waiting.
Give us faith that will pray when we're tired.
Give us faith that declares like Job:
“Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.” — Job 13:15
Father, don't merely bring us out of this difficult season—bring us out stronger, wiser, closer to You, and with a testimony that will strengthen somebody else.
We declare that trouble will not destroy our faith.
Pressure will not steal our praise.
Waiting will not cancel our worship.
And difficulty will not separate us from our God.
We will stand.
We will pray.
We will believe.
WE WILL KEEP THE FAITH!
In the mighty, matchless, powerful name of Jesus Christ, we pray.
AMEN AND AMEN!

DECLARATION OF FAITH...
I DECLARE that I will KEEP THE FAITH!
I may be pressed, but I will not be destroyed.
I may be confused, but I will not lose my confidence in God.
I may cry, but I will keep believing.
I may hurt, but I will keep worshiping.
My health will not steal my faith.
My finances will not steal my faith.
Problems in my marriage or family will not steal my faith.
Concern for my children will not steal my faith.
I declare that GOD IS STILL WITH ME!
God is still providing.
God is still healing.
God is still restoring.
God is still opening doors.
God is still making ways.
God is still working—even when I cannot see Him working!
THIS DIFFICULT SEASON WILL NOT BE THE END OF MY STORY!
I will come through this season with stronger faith, deeper worship, greater wisdom, and a powerful testimony!
I will walk by FAITH and not by sight.
I will trust God when I understand Him, and I will trust Him when I don't.
And until my change comes…
I WILL PRAY!
I WILL STAND!
I WILL WORSHIP!
I WILL BELIEVE!
AND I WILL KEEP THE FAITH!
IN JESUS' NAME — AMEN!