It is a certainty that sooner or later you will experience, life’s challenges and trials. However, you can overcome your negative circumstances if you apply God’s Spiritual S.U.R.F. Strategy: Stand firm, Use your faith, Rehearse God’s promises, and Fear not. With these spiritual strategies, God will help you to overcome your negative circumstances and cause them to work for your good (Romans 8:28).
God’s Spiritual S.U.R.F. Strategy
- Stand Firm
God wants each of us to stand firm in troubled times by putting our trust in Him. Many Christians stand their ground for awhile, but then they fall away. Unfortunately, they lose sight of God’s promises that are fulfilled for us in Jesus Christ:
“This certain hope of being saved is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls, connecting us with God Himself behind the sacred curtains of heaven, where Christ has gone ahead to plead for us from His position as our High Priest,” (Hebrews 6:18-20).
We must remain strong in the Lord, no matter what comes our way. As a matter of fact, God has given us defensive weapons to help us stand and fight (Ephesians 6:13). However, for it to be useful, we must put it on. Moreover, we must take up the whole armor. The benefits are decreased if we are only partially protected. Therefore, we would do well to study each piece of armor God has given to us in Ephesians 6:13-18.
- Use Your Faith
Hebrews 11:1 tells us that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. In other words, Faith is believing first and then seeing. Faith is like a seed that grows. Moreover, it is our responsibility to cultivate our faith and not allow it to remain idle.
One way we can develop our faith is by reading and hearing God’s Word (Romans 10:17). God’s Word teaches us to not rely on our natural senses and intellect, but to put our trust in Him. Another way our faith grows is through exercising it. We cannot strengthen our faith muscles only by reading a book or hearing a lecture. In addition to these things, we must learn to act on what God tells us (James 2:14-26).
- Rehearse God’s Promises
God is a promise keeper and His Word never changes (Isaiah 40:9). Moreover, the Bible is filled with many promises God has made to us. With this in mine, we should take time to rehearse them to build up our faith.
God has given us many promises that we can hold on to when going through negative circumstances. For example, Psalms 46:1-3 (NIV) records a well-known promise:
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
God is the Source of our power and our ability to persevere, no matter what we are going through. He is never away from us especially when we are in need, hurting, weary, perplexed, or in trouble (Psalms 34:15). We are never alone.
- Fear Not
Fear is a basic human emotion that is God-given to protect us. Normal fear alerts us to the presence of danger or threat of harm. But there is a fear that is not of God. The Apostle Paul referred to this when speaking to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:7, “ For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
We may not be able to control the effects that fear has on our body. But with God’s help, we can control our thoughts and rest in His promises. In the book of John, Jesus tells us not to be afraid (John 14:27). God cares for us, and He will never abandon us.
In summary, we may not always be able to change or fight the waves of adversity. However, we can apply God’s Spiritual S.U.R.F. Strategy to ride out the tides of whatever circumstances come our way.
READ MORE: God is Ready and Able to Help Us Overcome Life’s Hurdles
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