Welcome to Hustle in Faith. This podcast is dedicated to helping you find your trail to a happier healthier you by discussing topics regarding Christianity, health & wellness, beauty & so much more! I’m your host Tosha Johnson.
This is Episode 89. (Season 2 Episode 24) How will you view adversity?
The past couple of weeks have been an absolute blur. This episode has been in my head for a while now but I finally got a chance to record it, so I’m super psyched about that victory!
Keeping busy and staying out of trouble comes easy to me because my schedule is filled with my passions. Lately, things have been going crazy good for me.
Many of the things that I’ve wanted to do for years are slowly but surely starting to come true. I have a newfound appreciation for my ability to do these things because of the time I’ve spent in life’s valleys.
Valleys are those seasons in life when despite your best efforts, nothing seems to go right. Valleys are inevitable. Some last longer than others, but the only way you can pull through is by placing your trust in God. I know this is going to sound weird, but due to things going so well for me caused me to reflect on the times I spent in the valley.
There are two reasons in how we end up in a valley. One we’re in sin and God is trying to get our attention or two, and this one may be a harder pill to swallow, God wants you to use your valley experience as a stepping stone to further His will.
Regardless of what the reason it is, I’m sure it’s safe to say that none of us want to be in that valley. Yet, the only way you can emerge from it is to determine how you got there. Did you lose your blessings or are you moving forward?
Now I know that this may seem like a strange question, but trust me, it will make sense, so stay with me.
Looking back on my life, I can pinpoint several instances throughout my life, where I lost my blessing and the culprit to this occurring was sin. During many of those times, sin was the reason I was in the valley. Now I know a lot of people like to assign various degrees to sin like, “Oh, it was only a little lie,” or console themselves with thoughts like, “I didn’t rob or hurt anyone, so it’s okay if I (insert sinful behavior that you know you shouldn’t be doing).” This may make us feel better, but God will still be displeased.
When I reflected on my valley experiences I recognized many of those experiences were because I lied to myself. Instead of having faith in God, I often viewed myself and the resources as the Source to solve my problems. This was wrong. God is and always will be the Source. This is why I lost some of the blessings that God had given me. Much like Samson, I didn’t realize what I had until it was gone. My mom would constantly warn me about a variety of things, but because I was young and stupid I kept on doing my own thing until my world started to fall apart.
I’m just blessed that my mom was there to help me identify where it was where I went wrong so I could rectify the situation. If my world had not fallen apart I would still be going down the wrong path. I was stubborn but also had a strong desire to succeed which can only be accomplished by obeying Him.
Once I repented and truly turned my life around I started to see so many things change in my life. Everything started going my way! I got a new job making more money, I was able to travel more, a new place, and so much more! Man, you couldn’t tell me nothing! So imagine my surprise when once again I found myself in a valley and I was trying really hard to live my life according to God’s Word.
I was trying to follow God’s Will. No matter how hard I prayed, I still ended up losing the things I wanted to keep. However, little did I know, that in this instance I wasn’t losing anything.
Since I had been praying and diligently trying to obey His word, God was removing things from my life to make room for more of the blessings that He wanted me to have at that point in time in my life. However, He was only able to do this when I had demonstrated faith that the things being taken away were for a reason.
For example, when I was laid off from my job, I remember being so angry. I’m a hard worker, so why is this happening to me? There were so many other idiots who didn’t work but still had a job.
It took me a minute, but I realized that those times I was unemployed was God giving me a much-needed opportunity to rejuvenate. I was able to spend more time studying His word, hanging out with family and friends, learning new skills, and the list goes on.
Most importantly, I got to spend more time with Him. He taught me so many lessons and showed me so many signs that He was and always will be with me provided He remains first in my life. Guess what?!
Every time I have ever been laid off I ended up getting a better job somewhere else making way more money than the previous job. Yet, had I not stayed in faith this would not have happened. Again, in life losing things and God removing things in your life look exactly the same.
There’s a hole in your life that you desperately want to fill. However, the method in which you choose to fill it will determine whether it will hold or turn into a sinkhole.
The only way you will ever make it through adversity is by acknowledging how you got there in the first place. If you’re in sin, repent if you’re not in sin stand firm in your faith.
Just take solace in the fact that God is working on a plan for your life that is better than you could ever imagine.
He has proven through stories like Job, Joseph, and so many others that a win can come in the form of a loss if you stay in faith.
Thanks so much for listening to today’s episode. Don’t forget to check out the Prayer and Gratitude Journal for Men and Women of Faiththat is available for sale on Amazon.
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