God glorified through my hard time? Isn't there some other way?

The children of Israel are caught between a rock and hard place--the Red Sea on the one side and the Egyptian army on the other. There is no way out. Even though the people had seen the glory of the Lord displayed in the plagues, His protection over them during those plagues, and His deliverance from slavery, they complain!

But the Lord has his purposes. In Exodus 14:17-18 God reveals the purpose behind their "hard time," their crucible experience. His glory! It is through His deliverance through the hard time that the Lord will be glorified. Even though we might know this to be true we might wonder:

Lord, can't you get your glory without me having to go through a hard time? 

If He could He would! Rejoice that He is using our hard times to bring glory to Himself. This is about Him, not us!

His will be done!

Think Positive in Hard Times? No! Think Godly!

We live in a day and age where a lot of emphasis is placed on how much better our life will be if we just think in a more positive way. If we will just have a more positive outlook, things will start to improve. But is that really the case when we are hit with one of those spirit crushing, crucible type experiences? Thinking positive might work for awhile but the longer we are in the crucible, the more we realize that thinking positive is not changing the situation.

No, I would recommend not thinking positive, but thinking Godly. What's the difference? Thinking positive is nothing more than saying: "I can get through this on my own!" Thinking Godly says: "Apart from Christ I can do nothing." (John 15:5) and "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13) As we think Godly, we receive the strength to endure no matter how hard the circumstance might be! May the Lord give us steadfast hearts (Psalm 57:7) to endure our hard times!

Giving Thanks in Hard Times?

An oft quoted passage when in hard times is 1 Thessalonians 5:18: give thanks in all circumstances. It is true that we should give thanks, because as the passage says, it is God's will for us in Christ Jesus! But how unfortunate that we seem to apply this verse only when in hard times. We somehow view it as a balm that will help us get through a crucible experience. But Paul's admonition is to give thanks ALL the time, in ALL circumstances, the good and the bad. If we take this command to heart, then we will develop a habit of thanking the Lord for even the smallest of things in our lives. Doing so prepares us to give Him thanks when our spirits are crushed in those hard times.

Emotionally Hijacked in Hard Times?

My wife wrote in my book: In the Crucible: "It is about 9:30 p.m. on March 10, 2012. I am in the waiting room by myself while Dan is undergoing an endoscopy. The nurses bring Dan out into the recovery room still under the effect of the anesthesia. The doctor is still not out of the surgery room, so I wait, hoping he was able to repair the bleeding ulcer. The doctor finally comes out and says, “Your husband does not have a bleeding ulcer, he has cancer.” I was emotionally hijacked! All that night while lying on the recliner in his hospital room, I became overwhelmed with the fear of losing my beloved Dan. I finally fell asleep crying softly to the Father through tears that expressed my fears in a way that words could never do."

 

Have you ever had that kind of experience? Such experiences indeed hijack our emotions, catch us by surprise, take our breath away.  BUT, be assured, they NEVER take God by surprise.  He had already prepared both of us for the crucible experience and He is preparing you as well!  2 Corinthians 4:16-17

 

Worthless or Unworthy?

It is very easy to confuse these two words, especially in the light of who we are in Jesus Christ. 
 
When we consider what we do that grieves the Father, we realize how unworthy we are that He would send His Son to die for us.

BUT, we are not worthless. When we consider that He made us breathtakingly unique (Psalm 139:13-14) then we know that we have great worth.

When you are going through a hard time do not let the father of lies convince that God thinks are worthless and that there is no purpose or meaning to your life. DO NOT listen to him!

 

Going Through a Hard Time? This is a GREAT read!

In the Crucible: How God Sustains and Transforms in Hard Times.

Available in paperback or eBook on:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JH4ZPI2

Barnes & Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/in-the-crucible-daniel-schlueter/1119269219?ean=9781597553629&isbn=9781597553629

and on iTunes!

If you or someone you know is going through a hard time, like in a crucible, this book is for you!

Having a hard time seeing God as Father because of your past?

Years ago when I was in the military and stationed at the Pentagon, a coworker of mine shared that he had a hard time viewing God as his Father. He told me of his father who demeaned him, beat him, treated him as trash—once being literally thrown into a trash can. His emotions were severely damaged, and so his concept of a father was also damaged. I asked him to describe what he would consider a good father to be like. His description was filled with words like trusting, caring, loving, supportive, and encouraging. When I told him that he had just described God, the tears flowed down his cheeks.

If our understanding of God as Father is shaped by our past, then the father of lies will convince us that God is not our loving, caring, compassionate Father. DO NOT believe him.