We are definitely running late tonight. Remind me that should I feel the need to talk about problems again that I should expect them to occur! It's been a wild two days here on the home front. Tonight was a lot of scrambling to change schedules to adjust to the fall out. It isn't anything physical or fatal but it is still a pain. Maybe my next string of posts should be on God blessing us with lots of money. Somehow I doubt that manipulation would work quite as well. But we are here now and will try to wrap up some loose ends from the last two days.

First, please do not read too much into what is written. That means there are no hidden messages when blogging here. My main goal is to just throw stuff out to see what sticks and what doesn't. Some writers are superb at saying things that make you stop and think because of the depth of their writing. What I write is usually off the top of my head which is very dangerous. I promise to let you know if a blog post is meant to be layered with multiple meanings. Second, no one can give you a set approach to dealing with troubles. There are a few non negotiables as far as I can tell but we each are unique. God is going to do a special work in you just because you are you. My best advice is to guard against taking another persons suggestions to be your own. This is the attitude of Job and it worked wonders for him.

Once you find yourself in the midst of a crisis then the first major step is to find God for His guidance. It is not enough to just keep praying to find a way out. We listed four sources of calamity over the last two days. No matter the root of our problem we need to know how to turn to Him for His best. He may want to teach you how your struggles are self inflicted. He may want to show you how to respond when others do you wrong. He may want to enlighten you on how the enemy is trying to dim your faith. But He surely wants to teach you about Himself no matter the reason for the trial. Here is what will separate the growing believer from the one who is content grumbling about life.

You need to remember that God is going to reveal truth to you in many ways. All of it will be biblical but it could be that guidance or comfort will come through praying, talking with others, or it may come as you reflect on scripture. It is not about how hard life is at the moment but about how open our heart is to Him. This is tough to do if you are busy blaming God for anything that does not fit your notions about how life should work. Far more of the biblical characters passed through some painful seasons than we sometimes realize. What mattered was how they looked to God for His presence in those occasions.

You might start by reading through the Psalms and Proverbs. Just take a few Psalms per day along with one chapter of Proverbs. Read intently how they speak to your current condition while you listen to God for His extra insight. Take time to reflect on how the Psalms speak of an active trust in God even when things are so great. Let the Proverbs shine a light on the condition of your heart as you are working your way through the problem. One of the hardest things for us to do is to accept responsibility for our spiritual condition. Just know that is a significant step to recovery when things are going wrong. God is going to do more than fix things for you but He is going to fix you for Him.

Be prepared for the crisis of faith that will come along. You will have to adapt to His way of thinking on life. You may have to abandon styles of coping that are as unhealthy as the crisis itself. However there is far more to gain by letting God move in your heart than in just trying to get through your troubles on your own. He wants to be far more than an interested observer in your life. Be sure that His role in your recovery is more times than not going to be a choice that you have to make. Can you trust Him more than your coping skills? Only you can answer that.

Bro. Trey