Consider It Pure Joy.................WHAT!!!!

James 1:2 says to consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds. I'm supposed to like going through hard times, okay, two questions..........HOW & WHY!?!?
Well the answer to "WHY" is in verse 3 and 4, but "HOW" is not so simple. Lets take a look at "WHY", because the testing of your faith develops perseverance, perseverance must finish it's work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking in anything. Okay, so when I am going through a tough season I should look at it as a good thing because I am going to grow from it, so I can keep my head high and press on knowing that the Lord is faithful and all will clear soon and I will be a better person on the other side of this. Right!!!!! Well that is easier said than done, but it is true. The bible does not promise a trial free life, but it does promise help along the way.

For he will command his angles concerning you to guard you in all your ways, they will lift you up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. Ps 91:11-12

So yes the trials will come, but we have help along the way so we can learn from the experience and walk away with perseverance and not bitterness. Being able to walk out of a hard time with our head held high shows we have gained maturity, and are on our way to becoming complete. Walking away bitter and angry, simply put, means we have more growing to do. And we all do have more growing to do, the important thing is that we grow.
"HOW" is the big question, how are we supposed to find joy in hard times. This I think is a process, we need to drowned our minds in scripture, and line up our thinking up with scripture. If we allow our situation to cause us to get bitter, then the enemy has gained control, but if we take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ, then He is in control. And that leads us to being joyful in our trials. Another thing we need to do is stay accountable and connected to other Christians, we are not meant to go at life alone, we need others prayers and support to get through those hard times, because it is tough, it's hard to be joyful in the midst of pain, and hard times but the prayers of others is what carries us through. The best way to look at trials is to ask the Lord, what do you want me to gain from this, maybe your going through a season where he is wanting you to learn to trust Him with everything, maybe He is teaching you about obeying His voice. Maybe he is bringing into the light an area of sin you struggle with so you can be set free from it, or an area of weakness that he wants to make strong. So that is "HOW" we can have joy in trials, when we change our perspective of why we are going through what we are going through. Yes it's the devil trying to destroy us, but God has much bigger and greater plans, that lead to deeper levels of freedom. And I do love FREEDOM!

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