When You Are Going Through A Difficult Season

With the many ups and downs that life brings our way, we most definitely can relate to going through a difficult season. Maybe you are going through a difficult season right now. It’s so funny how whenever we are going through a hard season we get so engulfed that we forget that it is just a season that will pass. What kind of a hard season are you going through right now?

Maybe you are experiencing financial hardships that are unrelenting. Maybe it’s something to do with your career or relationships. Or maybe it is something emotional or spiritual that you are struggling with. Either way, if you are in a hard place I want to encourage you to keep on reading as this word will not only encourage you but strengthen you to keep holding on. 

So what are the things that you need to know when you are going through a hard season?

Know that it is just a season.

It might not feel like it, but it is just a season. You know in the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon reminds us that we live in a world governed by season. Just like we have spring, summer, autumn, and winter in the world, so does the same apply to our lives. The truth is that you will go through the highs and lows of life so if you are going through a hard season right now, keep in mind that this is just a season that will come to an end. In so doing you will have hope rise up in you.

The beauty about our God is that if your story does not have a happy ending, it means He is not done with you yet. God’s ultimate plan for you and my life is redemption, so if the story is still sour in your life, it should be the evidence you need to believe that the best is yet to come. 

The importance of understanding that this is just a season is that you will have hope for a bright future and also you will not make your wilderness season a permanent dwelling place. Understanding that this is just a season will inhibit you from falling into the same pitfalls the Israelites fell into that prevented an entire generation ( except Caleb and Joshua) from going into their promised land. They allowed their experiences to hinder them from seeing how big their God was compared to the giants in Canaan. Have you exalted your circumstances above your God? Have you forgotten that God is Almighty? 

Friend, I want to encourage you today to keep in mind that this is just a season. It might be tough and it might actually look hopeless but the reality is that God always has a way and when you get to the other side you will see that that was just a chapter of your story and not the entire book. 

Again, let Psalm 23 be your song. And remember, it is the valley of the shadow of death you are walking in and not the shadow of death and this should remind you that you will get to the other side. 

Persevere

You know the thing about hard seasons is that they require us to exercise patience. Especially when there is nothing you can do but wait on God to move. Maybe this is your story right now. Have you hit a dead end and are waiting for God to move on your behalf? Maybe you have done all you could and all that’s left for you to do is wait! Could it be that God wants you to exercise patience? Could it be THAT God wants to teach you to persevere? The difficult seasons usually help us exercise the muscle of perseverance. How can you know your tolerance level if you don’t go through a difficult season?

When you are facing a difficult season, God is teaching you how to have patience, and also it is in patience that the skills to be overcome are cultivated. Joseph had to persevere the entire time he was in prison and it was in those trying seasons that his gift of hearing from God and interpreting dreams was cultivated. The seasons of perseverance help to define your character and get you to reflect on God, even more. Patience is a fruit of the Holy Spirit and it is one that has to be gained in the difficult season so hold on. 

There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancies, such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit! Romans 5:3‭-‬5 MSG

So from the scripture, you can see how trouble fuels perseverance in your life. Today let me encourage you to look at trouble as an experience that will develop passionate patience in you. It is when you endure that you reap the reward. For you to get to the other side you will have to have the staying power which helps you finish strong and this all boils down to endurance. 

Know who God is when you are going through a difficult season. 

Difficult seasons can cause us to forget who God is. Sometimes the seasons can be so long and frustrating that you end up forgetting God altogether because all your focus is on the circumstances. 

But knowing who God is is the key to your perseverance. You have to get to the point where you believe without a shadow of a doubt that God is good. The circumstances will try to show you how bad God is because He is allowing all these things to happen to you. But when everything around you says that, that’s the time you need to delve into the word of God to know who God is. 

Maybe you have allowed circumstances to cause you to forget who God is. Take the time now and ask God to forgive you. Did you know that God is full of tender mercies and wants to forgive you? Yes, He wants to forgive you and just like the father of the prodigal son waited for the return of his son and even ran after him when he saw him, God will do the same. He already paid the price to have your sins forgiven so just repent and turn from the sin of not Recognizing His Power

Keys that can help you learn who God is.

Read the Bible.

The Bible is a beautiful love letter written by God to you to help you get to know Him better. In the Bible, you will find scriptures that will silence the noise of doubt and strengthen your belief in Him. Once you know that God is good, you will believe that everything will work out for your good and even the bad will be a testament to His goodness. His goodness will also lead you to believe that He has a plan and purpose for you that has a bright future ahead because He promises that your latter years will be greater than your former years.

It is in the Bible that you will see God as the One who redeems. Just read the story of Ruth and see how God redeemed a woman who had nothing and she ended up being part of the lineage of Jesus. Let us not forget that she was a foreigner to begin with. That is Who God is. Once you see that God is love because He sent His son to die for your sins and to reconcile you WITH Him, you will not have a hard time understanding who God is.

Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn’t, and doesn’t, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn’t been so weak, we wouldn’t have known what to do anyway. We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him. Romans 5:6‭-‬8 MSG

Spending time with God.

Knowing who God is, comes from having intimacy WITH Him, which stems from spending time with Him. Abraham waited for 25 years for his promise and it was because of his intimacy with God that he was able to wait that long. The same goes for Moses, can you imagine being able to endure rejection and people complaining to you all the time? The only way Moses could have endured all that was by spending time with God. You know the more time you spend with God, the more you receive revelations about Him. Let’s not forget that the Holy Spirit reveals to us who God is as is said in Romans 8.

This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what’s coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him! Romans 8:15‭-‬17 MSG

Praise and worship will also get you to know who God is. Songs get embedded in our hearts faster than mere words and s you sing, you will find out that it gets easier for you to know without a shadow of a doubt who God is. 

Let these 3 tips show you who God is so that you can hold on to that when you are going through a difficult season. 

Understand that these seasons are normal. 

Jesus promised us that as long as we are here on earth, we will experience difficulties but we should not be afraid because He already overcame and that means we too will overcome. Do not fear these seasons. Just because you are a Christian does not mean that you are exempt from them. In fact, it is because you are a Christian that you are facing them. The enemy is fighting you because you are not of him and that’s why you are experiencing some of these things. You are a threat to the kingdom of darkness. 

What tools should you use to help you come out victorious when you are going through a difficult season? 

Joy.

The joy of the Lord is your strength. 

He continued, “Go home and prepare a feast, holiday food and drink; and share it with those who don’t have anything: This day is holy to God. Don’t feel bad. The joy of God is your strength!” Nehemiah 8:10 MSG

Joy will preserve you when you are going through a difficult season. The best part is that you will not need to use your joy because it will not do much. As you are spending time with God and leaning on Him, HE will give you the joy that will indeed be your strength. 

You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever. Psalms 16:11 NLT

Could it be that the reason you are grumpy all the time is that you have not been spending time with God? Remember this, although the joy of the Lord is free you have to actually seek Him so that you can find it. 

Hope.

Hope comes from the knowledge of who God is. God wants you to have hope that things will get better. Expect that you will see a turnaround and you will surely see it. It is no coincidence that you empower what you focus on. 

“And you, because of my blood covenant with you, I’ll release your prisoners from their hopeless cells. Come home, hope-filled prisoners! This very day I’m declaring a double bonus— everything you lost is returned twice over! Judah is now my weapon, the bow I’ll pull, setting Ephraim as an arrow to the string. I’ll wake up your sons, O Zion, to counter your sons, O Greece. From now on people are my swords.” Zechariah 9:11‭-‬13 MSG

Faith.

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1 KJV

Where is your hope? Faith stems from the belief that because God is good, everything will work out for your good. When you have faith, you will be able to hold on even when things around you tell you otherwise. Faith is also vital as it dispels depression and a sick heart.

Conclusion.

God is by your side. When the road gets tough and hard and you feel like giving up. Look to God who will sustain you and encourage you. God will never leave you to die in Babylon, HE wants you to get to the other side where you will experience His overwhelming abundance and joy. Hold on, don’t faint and trust that the God who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. When you are going through a difficult season, remember that God is with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you.

Unless the Lord had helped me, I would soon have settled in the silence of the grave. I cried out, “I am slipping!” but your unfailing love, O Lord, supported me. When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer. Psalms 94:17‭-‬19 NLT

Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out. Ephesians 6:13‭-‬18 MSG

Beloved, let these scriptures speak to your spirit and encourage you. Things will get better. Mourning may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. God sees your tears, He is not blind to your pain. He sees them all and He will come to your rescue.