Count it all…

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. James 1:2 (NLT)

Get ready cos this is one of the hardest pills we need to swallow as Christians… but it will bless you if you can get it!
Every part of our flesh wants ease and comfort… all the time! The temptation to shy away from trouble and affliction is always easy to succumb to HOWEVER it's not always beneficial for our emotional and mental capacity as humans. Think of going to the gym or working out. It's painful for a short while, but the longterm growth in our muscles and health creates the opportunity for longevity that we'd never otherwise have.

So too when trouble comes…

It's never long lasting the way we anticipate it to be in our minds, but it if we allow it to refine us, it will increase our strength, determination, empathy and decrease our fear and anxiety.

Troubles, handled with joy, increase your capacity. Your capacity to handle greater troubles with greater peace. Luke 16:10 says “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much…” So when an unexpected bill for $100 comes, do you feel stress taking over or do take it in your stride? If you're believing and praying for greater income than with it is going to come greater expenses and if you can't handle the small bills now, how will you handle the big ones later?

It actually comes down to your perspective. Are you the provider or is God? He owns “the cattle on a thousand hills…” (Ps 50:10) and has unlimited resources to empower you (Eph 3:16). When you shift your perspective about trials and start to see the opportunities in them, all of a sudden the boundaries and borders that once seemed to limit you melt away and your possibilities, in God, become infinite.

A bill or a doctor's report doesn't determine your future… God does! Put your trust in His ability to provide and look for the opportunity that comes with trouble… it'll make you a stronger person who is able to handle the bigger things that are destined to come your way. Bless you guys!