23
Nov '19
Strength Through Adversity
23
Nov '19
By: Brian Keel
After some “gentle persuasion,” you know, the kind used on stubborn mules, I was guided to start being a guest blogger for the time being. I’m not sure where exactly to start, but here I am.
Many of you have seen posts of mine on the Oakwood Church Family Facebook page. Those posts have been pulled down, not for content, but for the angle at which everything was approached. Sometimes in life we all wish we could just erase parts of the past and continue to be who we are. Unfortunately, if we did that, we wouldn’t be the person we have become today. It is through adversity that our faith and our resolve are tested, proven, and strengthened. When Paul was writing to the Church at Corinth for the second time, he proves this to us, and to them. 2 Corinthians 12:10 tells us this: “That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Newton’s 3rd Law of Motion also teaches us this in an indirect kind of way. “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” If there is no adversity (action) there is no growing of our resolve (reaction). During the adversities that we face, many times we will try to handle it ourselves. We try to march through and man-handle our way to victory over the obstacles in our paths. With our strength, we will never get around these things that try to stop us. For there is an opposite and equal reaction pushing right back at us, and we come to a stalemate with our opponent.
The only way to get the win over the enemy, is to stop trying to fight things by ourselves, and allow Christ to fight for us. In our weakness we are at our strongest because in our times of need and vulnerability, we tend to lean more on our Savior than when everything is going our way. We let our ego get ahead of us, and try to do things alone. We think we are stronger than we really are, and this is when we find out our true weakness and fall back to hand it over to God. This is the point; even though we are at our weakest point, we are strongest because we are finally relying on our Lord and Savior the way He wants us to. Jesus tells us this very fact in Matthew 11:28-29: “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
No matter how bad the toils, troubles, trials and tribulations we go through, it is all for our benefit. We go through the adversity, allow Jesus to carry us through it, it truly strengthens our faith in Him, and allows our resolve to get us through to the next step.
Now take a second and ask yourself this, “Am I allowing myself to grow and strengthen my resolve, or am I fighting an uphill battle I can’t win?” Are you allowing our Heavenly Father fight for you, or are you trying to fight against an enemy you will never be able to defeat on your own?
~Brian
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About Brian:
“I was born in southern Alabama, so sweet tea and college football run through my veins. I am an Auburn fan through and through. I grew up just outside of Toledo, Ohio, but I am in no way, shape, or form a Buckeyes fan. Appearances show that I’m gruff and a bit intimidating, but I’m one of the biggest teddy bears when I need to be. At times I may seem pretty rough around the edges, but I am straight and to the point. What you see is what you get. I’m an Air Force vet of fourteen and a half years. I’ve lived in Mississippi, Nebraska, Georgia, Ohio, and now Michigan. I’ve been deployed twice. I have a wonderful wife and three great kiddos. The Lord has blessed me more than I have ever or will ever deserve. I put in the effort to apply what I learn Biblically to my everyday life, but like everyone, I fall short of where I should be. I pray that the words God gives me to share with you are able to encourage you, push you, and challenge you to strengthen your walk with Him.”
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Thanks for the reminder Brian! You’ve hit a point that we seasoned christians need to remember.
Go Green!