How do you cope with life when things go wrong? For instance, what should you do when someone you know dies and goes home to be with the Lord even though you prayed and believed for his healing? What do you do when you pray and the answer doesn’t seem to come?
These are questions we all have to deal with in life. How we respond to adversity determines the quality of our spiritual life. We have a decision to make when situations occur in life that we don’t understand.
Either God’s Word Will Fail Or It Will Not
We can choose to become stronger in God by believing that Heaven and earth will pass away, but God’s Word will never fail (Matt. 24:35). Or we can lose our faith in God and just go through the motions of Christianity.
Sometimes when people don’t understand things that happen in life, they try to figure it out in their own human reasoning.
For instance, when someone fails to receive healing, some people come to the conclusion, “Well, it must not be God’s will to heal everyone.” But conclusions that cause you to take sides against the Word of God are dangerous!
We can’t afford to let conclusions like that get into our mind and determine our thinking. Are we going to get our eyes on the situation or on God’s Word? According to the Word of God, Jesus Christ bore our sicknesses in His own body, and by His stripes we are healed!
Sometimes when loved ones don’t get healed, people even blame themselves by saying, “If only I’d prayed and fasted more, maybe he wouldn’t have died.” But you can “maybe” yourself into a state of confusion that can cost you your own walk with God!
The Bible says that in this life we see through a glass darkly (1 Cor. 13:12). Some translations say we see dimly as through a mirror. We don’t always see everything distinctly or understand fully everything that happens in life, but God does.
We Change, But God Doesn’t
So, friends, one thing we need to settle in our hearts is that there is never a problem with the Power Source! God’s Word is true, and the power in His Word doesn’t change because God doesn’t change.
Make the decision you’re going to meditate on the Word and believe what the Word says, not what circumstances look like. Otherwise, the enemy will bring up every possible idea and notion to get you to discount and doubt God’s Word.
If he can confuse your mind, he can steal your joy. If he can steal your joy, he can steal your peace. Lack of joy and peace produce weak faith. Then you’ve really got a problem because it takes faith to please God!
We can’t alter biblical doctrine to fit circumstances and experiences! We don’t form doctrine on circumstances; we form our doctrine on what the Word says. And the Bible says Jesus Christ doesn’t change (Heb. 13:8), and neither does His Word!
Really, in every perplexing situation, your answer is God Himself. He knows and understands all things, so just commit those situations to Him. Make the decision to believe God’s Word, regardless of circumstances.
Talk to your Heavenly Father. Tell Him,
Lord, I don’t understand this situation, but You do. So I’m turning this over to You, and I won’t even touch it again in my thought life. I make the decision to walk with You and to walk by Your Word. Come what may, Your Word is true!
Excerpt permission granted by Faith Library Publications
Kenneth W. Hagin, President of Kenneth Hagin Ministries and pastor of RHEMA Bible Church, ministers around the world. Known for calling the Body of Christ to steadfast faith, he seizes every ministry opportunity to impart an attitude of “I cannot be defeated, and I will not quit.”
Rev. Hagin began preparing for his call to ministry—a ministry that now spans 50 years—at Southwestern Assemblies of God University. He graduated from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and holds an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Faith Theological Seminary in Tampa, Florida.
In his early years of ministry, Rev. Hagin was an associate pastor and traveling evangelist. Later, he went on to organize and develop RHEMA Bible Training Centers in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and in other countries around the world.
Kenneth W. Hagin’s array of responsibilities also includes International Director of RHEMA Ministerial Association International. He hosts the annual A Call to Arms® Men’s Conference, and with his wife, Lynette, cohosts RHEMA Praise, a weekly television program, and Rhema for Today, a weekday radio program broadcast throughout the United States. They also conduct Living Faith Crusades, spreading the message of faith and healing around the world.
Recognizing the lateness of the hour before the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, Rev. Hagin has expanded his speaking schedule beyond his regular pastoral duties. To fulfill the urgent call of God to prepare the Church for a deeper experience of His Presence, Rev. Hagin delivers messages that reveal key spiritual truths about faith, healing, and other vital subjects. He ministers with a strong healing anointing, and his ministry leads the Body of Christ into a greater experience of the glory of God!
Kenneth W. Hagin and his wife live in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He is the son of the late Kenneth E. Hagin.