If you grew up in the 90’s I’m sure the title to today’s podcast automatically reminded you of TLC’s don’t go chasing waterfalls. This has always been one of my favorite songs. It serves as a constant reminder that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. In fact, whenever we allow our emotions to take the lead you can count on disappointment being right around the corner.
Whenever we lay aside the word of God. You are chasing waterfalls aka Satan’s illusion of the “good life.” So many people have fallen into the trap of thinking that fortune, fame, money, drinking and partying are indicators that you have made it. This couldn’t be further from the truth. They are nothing but distractions.
Whenever you set goals, especially material ones, that aren’t set established in glorifying God’s word they aren’t going to come to fruition. The only way your goals will materialize in a satisfying manner is if you daily read and meditate on God’s word.
If you fail to allow God to lead your life then you can expect to experience above average trouble in your life. What I mean by that is in Matt 5:45 God already told us that it rains on the just and unjust. However, if you fail to maintain a good relationship with the Lord, you are unnecessarily increasing your chances of enduring tribulation.
For example, you may go through a season of financial hardship. Instead of exerting forth the effort to apply for jobs and rely on your faith in God to help you get a job you decide to rob a bank. Now I know that’s an extreme example, but you get the point. You allowed your impatience to hinder God from showing you that He is faithful and will bless you with the right job.
Whenever we start to feel restless or during tough times, we need to remember that these are the moments that Satan tries to recruit us to join his team. It is during times of tribulation that determine what type of relationship you truly have with Christ.
Whenever you focus on anything else to solve your problems like money, gaining more education, your connections, etc. demonstrates that you don’t have trust in God to resolve your problems. Now I’m not saying that something is wrong with having any of the above, but when you start placing these things first rather than your affections above like He commands us to do in Col 3:2 then you have a problem. Only a spiritual intervention from Christ can restore order to our spiritual and physical life.
The mere fact that Joshua, David, Job, and other faithful children of God did not allow their troubles to destroy them is evidence that physical problems (tribulation) in and of themselves are not harmful ( Job 23rd Chp; Ps 23rd Chp; 1Sam 30th Chp). Their victorious outcome from their troubles proves that our physical problems are not the real issue.
It’s our lack of faith (trust in God) that’s the real problem (Heb 11:6; Rom 8:7-8). Without faith, God has no way of operating in and throughout our lives, so He can comfort us while He helps us to resolve our issues. Relying on faith is the reason Satan could not succeed in his diabolic plan of destroying people like Job, Joseph, and other faithful children of God.
Their faith protected them from Satan’s fiery darts which are nothing more than lies, deception, and schemes. Through their faith, God was able to take the exact same tribulation that Satan was trying to use against them and cause it to work for their good (Rom 8:28). In other words, God used their tribulation as a tool to strengthen and enlighten them (Job 23:10-12; Ps 105:17-19; Lk 22:31-32).
Their faith and patience (remaining in faith) gave God the opportunity He needed to turn their misfortunes into a magnificent dream of a lifetime, all of which proves that tribulation (physical problems) is not the real issue. Tribulation simply proves to us what kind of faith we possess. In other words, tribulation proves to us the type of relationship we have with God (Rom 8:16-18, 9).
Case in point, two people can face the same problem but one loses everything (Heb 10:38), including his faith in God. On the other hand, the other person has the opposite outcome. His physical problems make him stronger and more faithful. The difference is in their relationship with God (Gal 2:20). The person with the opposite outcome wholeheartedly believes in God’s love for him, His powers, and His promises. Therefore, when trouble came, he relied on his faith (2Cor 5:7; Gal 3:11; Rom 1:17). He put his belief into action by turning to God for help.
In doing so, God turned his problems into a blessing in disguise. In fact, this is exactly what God did for Joseph. Instead of allowing Joseph’s troubles to tear him down, God used Joseph’s problems to prepare him for a brilliant future (Ps 105:17-22; Gn 37th-41st Chps). The confrontation of Joseph and what others went through prove that the best blessing of our life can come through our suffering.
If we calm down and listen to God as Joseph did, God can teach us practical experience that can help us achieve our goals in this world as well as the world to come. Joseph understood this fact and patiently allowed God to teach him from all angles of life (Gn 37th-41st Chps; Heb 13:20-21). God was able to teach Joseph about the culture of the people he was to rule over. Joseph learned their language, their way of life, and their laws.
God taught Joseph how to be a perfect leader. Therefore, Joseph was able to relate to everyone, regardless of their status in life. Through Joseph’s faith and patience, God was able to align Joseph’s character to His. This state of mind helped Joseph to be compassionate toward all people. It also taught him the art of getting by in life through humble means as well as how to handle prosperity. As you can imagine, every aspect of Joseph’s tribulation was used to help prepare him for his God-given promotion of ruler over Egypt (Gn 41:41-44; 42:6).
God is not the author of confusion. He never changes. God took care of His children in the Bible and He will take care of us as well provided we stop looking at the waterfalls and focus on strengthening our relationship with Him.
Thanks so much for listening to today’s podcast. My goal is to help you both spiritually and physically. If this podcast has been a blessing to you, please check out my other website starengu.com. I’m confident that my side hustle of helping others to invest in themselves via my online courses can be of help to you.
My courses are geared to teaching people how to create their own website, and promote their endeavor through digital marketing, and so much more. You never know who you may inspire.
See you in the next episode!
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