Proverbs 24.10
“If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.”
The importance of stepping up with discipline and wisdom is amplified when you face adversity. Your R matters most when the E is most difficult. As the E escalates, your R must elevate. The NT book of James communicates this in the opening verses of the letter: “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1.2-4).
That is a biblical description of the disciplined application of E+R=O.
No one wants adversity, but everyone gets it. As a follower of Christ, it is vitally important that you fully embrace the reality that you will experience setbacks, difficulties, and defeats. Some will be serious. These are the situations (even seasons) that will test your resilience in Christ.
The proverb quoted above challenges us with something very important about life in Christ: When you face adversity, trust God and don’t flinch. Let me say that again: When you are in the storm, trust God and don’t flinch.
Here are five things that resilient Christians do:
1) Resilient Christians trust God. If you try to deal with life’s difficulties on your own, if you attempt to be strong by yourself, you will faint and you will fail. Why? Because by yourself, your strength is too small.
2) Resilient Christians pray fervently and deeply. They ask the Lord to fill them with the power of the Holy Spirit. They pray for wisdom and strength.
“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” (Romans 8.26)
3) Resilient Christians pray boldly and approach the throne of grace with confidence. They know the Lord understands us and he understands the situation, even if we do not.
“Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4.14.1-16)
4) Resilient Christians dig deeply into God’s word. They lay hold of the truth and promises of scripture.
“In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8.37-39)
5) Resilient Christians praise and worship the Lord, even in the midst of adversity. Especially in the midst of adversity!
“Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places.” (Habakkuk 3.17-19)
Trust God and don’t flinch. Step up to adversity.
