Elizabeth George - Finding Gods Path Through Your Trials: His Help for Every Difficulty You Face

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FINDING GODS PATH THROUGH YOUR TRIALS

Copyright 2007 by Elizabeth George

Published by Harvest House Publishers

Eugene, Oregon 97402

www.harvesthousepublishers.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

George, Elizabeth, 1944

Finding Gods path through your trials / Elizabeth George.

p. cm.

ISBN-13: 978-0-7369-1374-4 (pbk.)

ISBN-10: 0-7369-1374-2 (pbk.)

1. SufferingBiblical teaching. 2. ConsolationBiblical teaching. 3. Christian womenReligious life. I. Title.

BS680.S854G46 2007

248.8'6dc22

2007012043

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America

07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 / VP-SK / 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Contents

A daughters health and needed brain scan.

A soldier deploying to a war zone.

A couple with a son going through problems.

A suicidal daughter.

A dying dad.

A lack of self-control and/or addiction.

Whether we like it or not, trials and tribulation are part of our everyday lives. I can still remember reading John 16:33 as a new Christian making my way through the New Testament. In words spoken to His disciples, Jesus boldly stated, In the world you will have tribulation. At that time I believed that everything would get better, that being a Christian would surely one day mean a problem-free life. However, the truth is that you and Iand everyone elsewill suffer. We live in a sinful, fallen world that involves bodies deteriorating, relationships that require attention, temptation coming from every direction, and relentless persecution of believers because of their testimony for Christ.

As you read through this book, you will encounter some wisdom from the Bible about trialsand about how you can approach them. You will also learn how others have handled trials and how their examplesalong with Gods gracecan help you manage your way through your own set of trials. Regardless of what happens to you along lifes way, keep these words from Jesus in your mind and heart. On the heels of His statement regarding the universality of trials and tribulation, Jesus said, Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world (John 16:33).

This is Gods good news! Christs victory, accomplished through His death and resurrection, rendered the worlds opposition null and void. Yes, we will suffer, fall, fail, and be attacked. We will experience trials of every magnitude and every length of duration, from being locked out of the car until help arrives to a life-altering trial with no end or change in sight. But Christs triumph has already guaranteed a smashing defeat of the world and its evil, including our trials.

As we talk about finding Gods path through your trials, keep these words from the apostle Paul handy in your heart:

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57).

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us (Romans 8:37).

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

Life need not be easy to be joyful. Joy is not the absence
of trouble, but the presence of Christ.

WILLIAM VANDER HOVEN

Becoming a Joyful Woman

My brethren, count it all joy
when you fall into various trials.

James 1:2

Have you ever been asked to do something you werent too excited about? Something that might even cause some pain physically, mentally, or emotionally? Probably fairly often, right? Well, that happened to me one summer morning. One of my phone calls that sunny day was from the woman who chaired the womens ministry at my familys church. She asked me to pray about teaching the womens Bible study group the following spring. And not only was she asking me to pray about leading the group, but she actually gave me the topic of the Bible studytrials of all things! Her committee had discussed the needs among women in the church and decided that the topic of successfully handling trials would be important since so many were experiencing difficulties in some form or another.

Well, little did these ladies know, but their request quickly became a trial in my life. Why, you ask? Read on!

My first response to this woman, Im sorry to say, was negative. I dont like to teach by assignment. I much prefer to instruct out of the overflow of my own personal study of the Bible.