These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world. [NASB]

John 16:33

• Many people believe that if they have faith in God, their troubles will disappear. They expect that their lives will go smoothly, that they will be rewarded, in this life, for their faith. They believe they will prosper financially and materially. They believe their personal relationships will always go well. They believe that they will receive anything they want and that hardship, tragedy, and persecution will never cross their path.




• People with this mindset are often surprised and, indeed, angry when hardship does come their way. They often times feel that God has reneged on His end of the bargain. They’ve gone to church, put money in the collection plate, bought a Bible and other “inspirational” books and music, they even put a plastic fish on the back of their car. How could God let bad things happen to them?




• For those who view their faith as a life-improvement philosophy, it would be natural to be confused, disappointed, and angry when bad things happen to them. Many people who call themselves Christians are looking for a way to improve their lives. They have tried other approaches and philosophies but those things have left them feeling empty, so they have turned to Christianity to find their happiness.




• This is not the purpose of Christianity. Jesus did not die on a cross so that we could have a pleasant life. He died on a cross because someone had to be punished for our sins. Through His incomprehensible love, God sent His Son to take our punishment for us. We broke the Law and Jesus paid the penalty. If we do not understand that this is the essence of our faith in Jesus, then it is no wonder we are angry with God when our lives don’t go the way we want them to. Rather than appreciating the incredible sacrifice that Jesus made for us, we’re mad because we don’t get what we want.




• If we have troubles in our lives or feel distant from God, one of the causes could be that we are still holding on to willful sin. Rather than asking God to change our desires so that we don’t want to sin against Him; we continue to defend and justify our favorite sins. We do not have an understanding of the incredible sacrifice that Jesus made for us. If we did, we wouldn’t want to justify the very sins that Jesus suffered and died for.




• Just as God tested the Children of Israel as they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, God will test us to see if we really understand what He’s done for us and really want to serve Him above ourselves.

And you shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. [NASB]

Deuteronomy 8:2




• God will let bad things happen to us if that is what it takes for us see our sin and to surrender to Him and stop living in rebellion.

How many are my iniquities and sins? Make known to me my rebellion and my sin. [NASB]

Job 13:23

“Woe to the rebellious children,” declares the LORD, “Who execute a plan, but not Mine, And make an alliance, but not of My Spirit, In order to add sin to sin;” [NASB]

Isaiah 30:1

For this is a rebellious people, false sons, Sons who refuse to listen To the instruction of the LORD; [NASB]

Isaiah 30:9




• If we really trust God then we will trust that His will is best for us. His plan, to live righteously, is better than our plan to live in our sins. If we are holding onto our sins then we must examine our faith. If we desire to please our sinful nature rather than please God, we must ask if we’ve really been changed or if our faith is just a life-improvement philosophy.

Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you– unless indeed you fail the test? [NASB]

2 Corinthians 13:5

Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. [NASB]

2 Corinthians 5:17




• So does this mean that if our faith is real that we will never encounter hardship? Far from it. The world will persecute us, not only for our faith in Jesus, but especially for trying to live as Jesus wants us to live. Living righteously directly contradicts our culture. The consciences of others are convicted when they hear us talk about and see us living the righteous life that God requires of us.

If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. [NASB]

John 15:18-19

Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when men cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me. Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. [NASB]

Matthew 5:10-12




• Bad things will also happen to us because we live in a sinful world full of sinful people. People who are driven by sin will do all sorts of evil things regardless of the consequences to others. God has given people a degree of free will. People often choose to use this free will to sin against God with resulting harm to others as well. True Christians also suffer the consequences of the sins of others.

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation. [NASB]

1 Peter 4:12-13




• It is during these times when a true Christian can experience the love and the power of God. These are the moments that The Spirit of God uses to strengthen our faith. Rather than being angry at God for the bad things that are happening to us, we can turn to Him to give us the strength to go through troubling times. Over time, we will better be able to withstand the evils of this world because we have learned to turn to God in those moments.

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. [NASB]

James 1:2-4




• An amazing thing happens in these moments. We can feel the true peace of God in our lives. We can trust that He will be our strength for us, to get us through any difficulty. We can be comforted knowing that we do not need to rely on our own strength to get us through difficult times. We can trust that the God that gave His Son to die for our sins, is still with us. These are the moments when we can feel closer to Him than at any other time; when we put our lives in His hands.




• During the worst moments of our lives, when we need God the most, He is there for us…waiting for us to turn to Him.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Psalms 23:1-6