How to Advance Through Our Adversity - Part 1

Welcome to the In Touch Podcast with Charles Stanley for Monday, March 31st. No one enjoys pain, but Scripture teaches us to endure and grow through it. Here's part one of how to advance through our adversity. Adversity strikes suddenly and without warning, and somehow you're not sure exactly how to respond because the pain oftentimes is so either physically or emotional intense. You either want to run, you want to escape in some fashion, you look for somebody to blame.

You don't know exactly how to respond to it. And as I think of the Scriptures of all the people who went through adversity, I come to the New Testament to look at the Apostle Paul and when I look at his life and think about all the things he went through, yet two thousand years later, what are we doing? We're saying the Apostle Paul said this. The Apostle Paul said that.

Why? Because in his life, he learned so many valuable principles. And by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, he wrote those in letters to the churches. And we have those in this inspired, infallible, inerrant Word of God. Principles to live by. Life is just as tough today in some ways as it was in those days.

And yet those principles are absolutely as applicable today as they were in the days in which they were written. So I want you to turn, if you will, to 2 Corinthians chapter twelve. And I want us to read a passive Scripture here that describes an incident in the life of the Apostle Paul in which he describes the adversity that he was going through. When you turn to this twelfth chapter, then I want you to remember this, that adversity is oftentimes the setback from which we have the potential of making our greatest leaps forward in our spiritual growth. That adversity is oftentimes the setback from which you and I have the privilege of being able to take our greatest leap forward in our spiritual growth. So beginning, if you will, in verse seven, he says, And because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, truths that God gave to him, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to buffet me, to keep me from exalting myself.

Concerning this, I entreated the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And he has said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, Paul says, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore, I'm well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake.

But when I'm weak, then I am strong. Now, if anybody understood what adversity was about, the apostle Paul did. But in his experience of it, he has given us some principles and some understanding that I think we would not have otherwise.

And so I'm grateful to the apostle Paul for all the suffering, all the hardship, all the heartache, and for God leading him to write down what he was learning and how God worked in his life in those times. So I want us to look at several aspects of adversity and listen. If you will listen very carefully, I assure you, you're going to hear something that will encourage your heart. You're going to hear something that will give you a sense of understanding of what adversity is all about, no matter what form it may take.

You'll hear something that will encourage you to know how to respond and to check yourself out to see if you're responding in the wrong way. So first of all, I want us to look just for a moment at the very nature of it, because the truth is that adversity, which would include all those difficulties we go through, is universal. It doesn't make any difference where a person lives, what their culture, what their background, adversity is going to be a part of their life.

It is not only universal, it's very impartial. The people who are the richest oftentimes have the most adversity. People who are very poor have lots of adversity. People who are very intelligent and think themselves to be intellectuals oftentimes have great adversity. People who do not feel like they are capable in life have great adversity.

There's no such thing as it being partial whatsoever. It is universal, it is absolutely impartial, and so often it is very painful. Sometimes it is physical pain. Sometimes it is worse than physical pain. It is emotional pain. Sometimes it is something that comes suddenly. Oftentimes it is something that comes in a growing pattern. Sometimes it lasts for a very, very long time.

And sometimes it is short-lived. So when you and I think about these things and think about the fact that adversity has come in all kinds of fashions, all kinds of people, most all of us have experienced adversity. And you know, even a child experiences adversity. Well, whether you are five or whether you are a hundred and five, adversity is going to be a part of your life.

Now, there's a little mystery about adversity, and I will just ask two questions here. First of all, we sometimes say, well, God, why did you allow this to happen? Why do you allow these things to happen? And sometimes when I listen to other people's pain and they're hurt and listen to them ask the question, why would God, if He's a loving Father, allow this to happen to me? Why would God, this God you talk about loving us unconditionally, if He loves us unconditionally, why would He allow that to happen? Well, I know that I cannot always answer everybody's question to their satisfaction.

I wouldn't even attempt to do that. I just know that I don't always have to know the reason why. And I also know that there's some things I'm not going to be able to know the reason why God allows them until you and I get to heaven. There are going to be some things that you and I are never going to be able to resolve in our rational thinking until we get on the other side.

God knows that you and I have enough humanness in us. It is natural and normal for us to say, God, now why are you doing this? Now, the why question is not a bad question unless you get stuck in that. Now, if you get stuck in the why, you're going to miss it.

But to ask why oftentimes is a good question because it gives God the opportunity to reveal to you what He's up to in your life because no matter what the adversity is, God is up to something in your life and He's up to something good no matter what it is. The second question that sometimes is a mystery to people is who? What do you mean by who? Well, who is responsible? Well, sometimes you and I are responsible for our own adversity. I can think of adversity that's come into my life that I'm responsible for, maybe some act of disobedience or some foolish act or some thoughtless act.

In other words, I've brought it upon myself. So sometimes our adversity is the result of our own doings. Oftentimes it is no doubt the result of Satan at work in our lives.

It may come through a friend. It may come through an enemy. It may be some circumstance or through somebody that we're not even aware of. And yet oftentimes it is Satan. And you recall that Paul said here, he said that it was given to him a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, a messenger of Satan to buffet me. So you and I know that all evil ultimately comes from him.

And so we can identify everything from sickness and death. It all comes ultimately back from sin and the devil and so forth. So one of the sources of adversity is our own doings. One of the sources of adversity is Satan. Well, there's a third source of our adversity and that's God Himself.

He said, well now wait a minute. That's the one I have a problem with. So I can understand creating it for myself. I can understand the fact that Satan does it. But you mean to tell me this loving, unconditional loving Father who wants the best for me. And how many times have I heard you say God wants the best for us. He's provided the best of us. Now you telling me that God is the source of my adversity.

Let me say this. I did not say that God sends it all. But ultimately I do believe this and I do know this to be true. He is the sovereign God of this universe.

That means He is in absolute control. Whether it is something I do, whether it is something Satan comes, brings to my heart or whether it is something God purposely sends into my life. Ultimately, ultimately God must allow it. And so the two questions we have to ask. Number one, why? We will never always be able to understand that.

Who? It's either going to come from something we do ourselves. It's either going to come from Satan sending something into our life. Or it is something that God may purposely, deliberately design, fashion and pattern just for you or me.

Or it may be something that God allows Satan to send into our life or allows us to do to ourselves. Now, when I think about that, I think about the variety of responses people have. How do you respond when some form of adversity comes into your life?

Whether it is some sickness or some financial loss or some separation or some real tearing away at your emotional being. How do you respond? Well, how do most people respond? Well, first thing they usually do is they look for somebody to blame. Who can they blame?

And people blame. God, God, why do you do this? Why did you allow this to happen in my life? Now, if you ask them, well, are you angry at God? They say, oh, no, I'm not angry at God. But deep down inside what they're saying is, God, if you're sovereign like the pastor said, you're in control of me, why did you do this to me? God, why did you do this?

And so they blame God. Secondly, we want escape. Now, I agree, I want it just like anybody else wants it. When adversity comes, how fast do I want out of it?

Just like that. Why should I linger on it? God, let's get over this thing. Let's get me released and let's free me up here or bring this back or recoup this loss, whatever it might be. So we want escape.

We want to get out of that situation no matter what it is. We don't like adversity. No one does.

And you know what? I don't think anybody in the Bible ever said, bring on the pain, God, I love it. Not one person ever said that. The apostle Paul, he talked about what he was learning, but he didn't say bring it on, God. I mean, he was having enough difficulty. He was crying out to God, please take this away. So that's a normal, natural thing. One of the other responses that people have is they deny it.

They deny that they're going through adversity. When we're hurting, he wants us to be able to share it with someone. Why did he send the Holy Spirit?

He sent him as a comforter. And he wants us to be able to sense each other's needs and feel each other's hurts and be lifted up and loved by one another. So when you're hurting and going through some difficulty, it's not smart to say, when you know I'm tough I can handle it. Nowhere in the Bible does it say get tough and handle it.

It says what? Encourage one another. Bear each other's burdens. Love one another. Pray for one another. It is this one another. That's the why God put us together as a body, as a church.

And so sometimes people just absolutely deny it. And then there's one fourth way I think people respond is, and that is they have a pity party. Well, what in the world's a pity party? Well, here's what a pity party is. If you don't define it, a pity party is an attempt to get help in the wrong way, which oftentimes leads to depression.

There's not a thing in the Bible that promotes self-pity. It is an unhealthy attempt to get help that oftentimes will lead you to depression if you don't snap out of it. If you don't get out of it, don't be too prideful to go to somebody and say, well, you know, I'm going through this difficult time in my life and I need someone to pray for me. I need someone to just love me.

I need someone to help me through this. And so oftentimes people certainly make the wrong responses. Well, the apostle Paul, when I look to see what happened in his life, I believe the apostle Paul learned, and listen, we don't have everything in the Bible that apostle Paul felt. He's bound to have gone through difficulty, hardship, trials, suffering, pain, doubts and fears in his life at times, like every biblical character did. And you see, my response to adversity is going to show someone else what I think of God. Do I think, listen, am I saying to people, well, God's adequate, but when adversity hits, I fold up and walk away. If I say to somebody, listen, God is absolutely sovereign, but if I act like a victim, cry like a victim, weep like a victim and have a pity party like a victim, I'm saying one thing that I'm believing something else. You see, adversity reveals our view of God. If He is sovereign, I'm going to keep my focus on Him. If God is faithful, I'm going to trust Him no matter what.

If I really and truly believe that He loves me, I'm going to look for some good. Our adversity reveals, shows, it manifests what you and I really and truly believe about God. A second thing it reveals, it reveals ourself.

We learn things about ourself. I thought I was strong. I thought I believed. I thought I could handle this.

I thought somehow this would never happen to me. And yet, when we come to adversity, what happens is we learn things about ourselves. We learn things about ourselves we would never know any other way. Because as long as things are going our way, and everything is sort of simple and easy in life, we don't know what we can handle.

We don't know how much we can handle. And so when I think about what we learn, we learn, for example, the place of things in our life. You say, well, you know, I'm not idolatrous, and you know, things are nice to have, but they're not all of the important in our life. And then all of a sudden you have a big loss. And then you begin to realize what happened. Your identity was wrapped up in this thing.

Your security was wrapped up in this thing or this position or whatever it might be. And so what happens is our view of things gets unveiled when you and I begin to experience adversity. We also learn our capacity to be steadfast. That is, it's easy to say, well, no matter what, I'm going to hang in there. But you know what?

Oftentimes, what God will do, He will allow our adversity, and I think you can mark this down as a principle, He allows our adversity, listen, to extend to the point where He is trying to teach us to be steadfast. God knows how much you and I can handle. He knows exactly how much you and I can handle.

We think we do, but He does know. For example, I'll say, Lord, that's all I can handle. That's as far as I can go. And Lord, I can't handle anymore.

You know what He does? He says, all right. And so He just moves a little further. And so we grow up to that. We say, God, this is it. Can't handle anymore. Father, this is it. I'm telling you, God, this is it. He moves a little bit further.

What does He do? He grows us up to it. None of us know our capacity for endurance, but endurance is a great quality in the Scripture. And so what happens is we learn our capacity to endure. We learn many things about ourselves. We learn whether we can truly and absolutely truly forgive or not. And we learn whether we can absolutely trust God or not. With that in mind, let's think about how can we advance through these adversities. Well, remember we said adversity is a setback or it can be a series of setbacks that you and I experience in life which have the potential of catapulting us to our greatest height spiritually and in whatever God may be calling you to do or to accomplish or to achieve in your life. That is, if we respond in the proper fashion. And so I think about probably about three basic principles here.

And the first one is this. I do believe that adversity, and here's a principle, it is God's most effective tool for growing us up. It's God's most effective tool for maturing us. Now, how many of you would say, well, I grew the deepest, I grew the furthest in my spiritual life when I had everything going my way, had all the money I wanted, all this, all that, all the other. That's when I was really growing in the Lord.

No, you weren't. I'll tell you what grows us up spiritually. What grows us up is what puts us down. What puts us on our knees is what grows us up. What drives us to our knees is what grows us up. It is adversity, hardship, pain, suffering, and trial. I believe, number one, it is God's choice tool for growing us up. His choice tool for growing us up.

A second thing I think is important here is this. Usually, our adversity will come in an area of our life in which God is working on us, in which He desires to grow us up, in which He desires to mature us. God isn't nearly as interested in my comfort, ease, and pleasure as He is in character and integrity and strength and being Christ-like.

That's what He's up to. And let's face it, this is a tough world you and I live in, amen? It's hard growing up. It's hard being grown. It's hard getting old. It's hard being rich. It's hard being poor. It's hard having friends.

It's hard not having friends. I mean, you name it, and there are some adversities in every aspect of life. God is up to something. And so when I think about the fact that this is His choice tool for growing us up, and secondly, when I think about the fact that God is working on a particular area, in other words, wherever the adversity is, that's where God's at work. When I drive down the highway, and they said, you know, move to the right lane, I mean lanes five, four, three, two were all closed up.

And I didn't see anything for a while, and all of a sudden I saw a few men, and I knew that whatever was going on, that's where the problem was. Where they work works for the problem is. When I look in my life, I look in your life, and wherever the adversity, oh, listen, let me say this. Oftentimes, God doesn't send us or allow just one adversity in our life. Haven't you felt like I've got one here, one here, and one over here? I mean, everywhere you turn, thank God, what in the world's going on? You know what?

He's just working in all areas at the same time. And see, our adversities are not under our control. They're under God's control. Well, one other thing I know about the adversity that I think is a good principle here, and that is that God has a divine purpose in all adversity, no matter what the source may be. Even if it's something we brought upon ourselves, it's something someone else is doing to us, absolutely straight from the devil or from God Himself, He has a purpose and a plan for it. Now, how do I know that?

For this simple reason. And this is a verse not only that everybody should know, most people do know who are believers, but oftentimes we don't apply it as we ought to. Listen, I have just one big pot, and it's called Romans 8-28.

Everything I can dump into that pot and stir it up, if I can get in that pot, I understand something. He says God is engineering all of our circumstances, listen, for His glory and for our good. That is, He's engineering all of our circumstances.

So therefore, I know that every single adversity, it doesn't make any difference if it's something small that just sort of pricks me or something that is extremely painful. God has a plan. He has a plan for His timing. He has a plan for the intensity of it. He has a plan for the nature of it. God has a plan for all of adversity.

So when I see it and understand that it's God's choice too, and that the area in which He's working with that adversity is something He wants to do in my life, and the fact that He has it under absolute control, has a specific plan in mind, somehow I'm able to look at that adversity with a sense of positiveness. And that is, this is a potential for me to take my greatest leap forward in my spiritual life if I respond in the right fashion. Thank you for listening to today's podcast titled How to Advance Through Adversity. For more inspirational messages like this one, visit our online 24-7 station. And if you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley or In Touch Ministries, stop by intouch.org. This podcast is a presentation of In Touch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia.