THE CHALLENGE REVEALS HIS GLORY
Most of the challenges we come across help us to understand How God works in our lives. The glory of God is revealed through our challenges. The problem we have is to address the way we see whatever we encounter in life. If you are going to move from glory to glory and fulfil His purpose in any situation, you must behold and handle situations from God's lens or standpoint. This means that our mentality is vital in handling situations. Your mentality is the mental portrait of yourself. Its your perspective about anything in life or your way of thinking about it.
Reference: John 11:4 English Standard Version (ESV) 'But when Jesus heard it he said, "This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it."'
Lazarus, Mary and Martha were Jesus' true friends who lived in Bethany. When Jesus was in Bethabara, twenty miles away from Bethany, a messenger from the two sisters came to Jesus informing Him that His beloved friend, Lazarus was sick (John 11:1-3). The later verses indicated that Jesus delayed two full days before He traveled to Bethany and eventually He arrived four days after Lazarus had died. Even though He assured them that Lazarus would not die, he eventually died. But Jesus did not change His words to suit the situation.
When faced with any situation, its not always what happened that matters, rather its how we see it that influences the next step. When God allows you to face some things, they are necessary because God intends them for your good. He might use the situation to prompt you to pray your way to the next level He's prepared for you. In that case, the challenge is designed to help you to strengthen your prayer life until you master a certain level of fervency in prayer and consecration. In that regard, God pushes you into new levels of fellowship with Him because He wants to cement an intimate relationship with you.
In life, if you are scared of challenges, you are that way because you have the wrong mindset. When you develop the right mindset through the Word of God, you'll understand that the God of providence has a time and purpose attached to every challenge. He can use a troubling situation to build your faith up so you can gain the audacity and capacity to possess the greater blessings He has for your life. Even when a doctor gives a bad report, interpret it as a good report and declare it so. Until you get to the level of building the right mentality, you can't see things differently. A bad report for health is a good one when the person handling the situation is fearless, audacious, bold, and unshakeable in the Lord. Romans 8:13 (NIV) reads, 'For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.'
If you keep interpreting any challenge that comes your way as mischance, you don't have the right mindset. This is because, no matter what the enemy or his cohort throws at you, you are in such a powerful place called Christ that it can only work for your good. God is so powerful that no matter what happens to you, He only allows what He will use for His glory to come to you. In Christ, everything about your life is a divine plan. Nothing happens to you by chance. Imagine Jesus' word in our referenced Scripture: "This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it." Have you ever experienced a health challenge and you spoke in this manner? Indeed, its all about perspective.
There is a principle in the Word of God that shows that how we behold or imagine determines the results we get. Proverbs 23:7 (NASB) says, 'For as a man thinks within himself, so he is.' Its talking about perspective! God has some challenges prepared for you as part of your process to bring you into a fully seasoned and strong Christian. And until you change your perspective, you may prolong the process. But with the right perspective, when you face anything in life, you will begin to celebrate because you know that God is about to lavish His favour on you, promote you, heal you supernaturally, expand your influence or shift you to your next level. Therefore, you must be positive and perceive every problem as an opportunity for His glory to be revealed in your life. The Word 'perceive' here is the Greek word, 'theoreo' which means "to discern", or 'aisthanomai' which means, "to notice, to identify, to comprehend and to see differently."
Scripture Reading - Jeremiah 29:11; 2 Corinthians 4:17-18; Romans 8:28; Romans 8:37.
Guided Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I thank you for the insight and revelation knowledge you've granted me into your purpose for any given situation. I know that all things work together for my good. Thus, no matter the encounters, I'm focused on your faithfulness and favour and I move forward with confidence, knowing that your glory is revealed in my life through them. I'm grateful for the courage and enablement to see and handle all situations with the mindset of the just and according to your purpose, in Jesus' Name, Amen!
