Preparing For Trials

Trials and difficult times come out of nowhere. There is no sign or warning or time for preparation, letting us know that a trying time is coming.

It's often difficult to think or reason when you're in the middle of a crisis. Time moves too fast or too slow - your mind becomes jumbled just attempting to function normally. You may even be physically sick or mentally exhausted. The key is to be learning, studying and growing now before the trouble comes.

You wouldn't sit down in a classroom and take a test without studying, just assuming you'll pass on blind luck. You spend countless hours reading and memorizing and learning so that when the day of the test arrives, scheduled or not, you'll have all the resources you need to be successful.

The same principle applies to tests in your personal life. The more preparing you do in God's Word now, the easier it will be find victory over the obstacles set before you.

Here are just a handful of verses to get you started:

* Pray. Job 5:8-9

* Be patience. 2 Thessalonians 1:4-6

* Trust. 2 Samuel 22:3

* Remember. Psalm 77:11-13

* Pray more. 1 Thessalonians 5:17

* Rejoice. Romans 12:12

* Be faithful. Deuteronomy 4:30-31

* Have cheer. John 16:33

If you're going through a trial right now, I pray that these verses will give you some hope and comfort. If you're just coming out of a trial, I pray that you've grown through it and that it brought you closer to the Lord.

If you're not in one or coming out of one, rest assured that "man's days are few and full of trouble." I pray that these verses will give you the tools and faith you need to trust in the Lord when the difficult times come.

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