How To Prosper In Hard Times

Love you all, praying for you.
 
I just love God’s Word.  It tells you the heart of God.  He loves you, He wants you to prosper.  Not prosper in greed, selfishness, or self-absorb-ment.  He wants you to prosper in soul and spirit.  He wants you to prosper like your soul prospers.  Life brings good times, and hard times.  Ecclesiastes 7:15 – In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other…  When times are good, be thankful, when times are hard, take thought, examine yourself and your ways.  God made them both.  Good times are for joy and thanksgiving, not for forgetting the God who gave them.  Hard times are for considering, not complaining or despairing.  Hard times contain great opportunity. Opportunity for revival.  When times are good many people ignore God.  They think their success is because of themselves, their effort or ingenuity.  They do not credit the One who gives them breath, and health and strength and opportunity and safety.  Good times tend to cause people forget about God.  But hard times get people’s attention.  Some people misinterpret them, they still reject God, and will attack those who trust in Him, share about him, or speak the truth of what causes hard times.  But hard times present great opportunity.  People’s hearts become open.   The first thing you need to know about hard times, they really don’t affect you.  If you know Christ, if you’ve given your life to him, you operate in a different kingdom, a different economy, a different reality.   External things – do not control or determine internal things.  And in truth, your life is what you think, not what you experience.  Some people are rich and have no hope, others are poor but have great hope. Even in good times, your life is what you think and believe, more than your environment or situation.  Put your trust in God.  He says He preserves His people in hard times.  Better to be wise, than strong.  Be careful.  Some people who have ignored God for years, jump to Scripture when hard times come. They claim promises of God that they cannot claim.  God confronted them.  Psalms 50:14-17 – “Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”  But to the wicked person, God says: “What right have you to recite my laws or take my covenant on your lips?  You hate my instruction and cast my words behind you.  When you see a thief, you join with him; you throw in your lot with adulterers.  Your mouth is filled with wickedness, and your tongue is full of lies.   You speak continually against your brother and slander your own mother’s son.  These things you have done and I kept silent; you thought I was altogether like you.  But I will rebuke you and accuse you to your face.  Consider this, you who forget God, or I will tear you to pieces, with none to rescue: He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.”  Ouch.  So now what?  You cannot change your past, but you can start from here.  If you fall into that category.  Repent, turn now, put your trust in God, don’t look at your past, and don’t assume past your place.  Humble yourself, repent, obey, and put your faith and hope in God.  Psalm 145:17 – The LORD is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does.  The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.  He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.  Thanks to Jesus death in your place, He places you fully in mercy and grace, that undeserved favor and power of God.  Just start from here.  Humble yourself, Fear God – turn from evil, and obey what He tells you.  You can put your trust in Him.   Hard times can be the best times.  People are open to the things of God in hard times that haven’t been in good times.  Your life is in God’s hands, He will preserve you.  But your life is not here anyway.  This earth is just temporary, so is your life here.  Your life is in heaven with Christ for eternity.  Live for there not here.  Always be ready to give a reason for the hope that is within you.  The money opportunists look forward to hard times, because the foolish lose their shirts, and bargains are available.  Many become wealthy in hard times, gaining from the loss of others.  But what a foolish ambition for hard times. Is that all you’ll get from it.  Money?  Ecclesiastes 2:26 – To the person who pleases Him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God…  Hard times are the greatest opportunity to walk in faith and joy.  You will be so unusual – like a city set on a hill.  People will be drawn to the life you live, and the hope you have.  Obedience first, faith next, praise a priority, thanksgiving a habit, and joy will follow!  Know the purpose that God has for you in hard times.  Let your joy be full, and be prepared to help others to put their faith in the One who is Sovereign over hard times.  He will take you through, he’ll be the fourth one with you in the flames.  He can bring you out unscathed, not even smelling like smoke.  You can trust Him, no matter what happens, or what you go through.  He never promised it would be easy, He promised He will walk through with you, and give you a hope and a joy that hard times cannot take away.  If you keep your eyes on Him, you will prosper in hard times.  Your faith will grow as your obedience grows, your joy will grow, your fruit will grow, and when hard times pass, you will see what God will do.  The wicked will be no more, they will be swept away, but the righteous will stand firm, and be established forever. 
 
Love you all,
dad