It may seem like I come bearing bad news this Friday evening when all you want to do is relax, catch up on your favourite Netflix show and just enjoy the start of the weekend. But I’m just reminding you of Jesus’s words in John 16:33:
“And everything I’ve taught you is so that the peace which is in me will be in you and will give you great confidence as you rest in me. For in this unbelieving world, you will experience trouble and sorrows, but you must be courageous, for I have conquered the world!”
I’m not sure what version of Christianity we were sold, but I know too many Christians who have bought into the idea that Christianity is synonymous with the “soft life”; a life free from hardship, discomfort, and challenges. It’s almost as though a lot of people didn’t really understand the terms and conditions of Christianity before signing up. You know how people just scroll and say “I accept” without reading the terms and conditions?
That is what a lot of people do with Christianity.
News flash! God did not call you to a life of ease, or a life free from stress and hardship, and Jesus himself said it, that “in this unbelieving world, you will experience trouble and sorrows.”
The Message translation says, “you will continue to experience difficulties.”
The Amplified translation says, “you will have tribulation, trials, distress and frustration.”
Maybe we should define these words, so it hits home.
Sorrows: Deep sadness or grief, often caused by loss, disappointment, or pain.
Tribulation: Severe trials, suffering, or trouble, especially related to faith.
Frustration: A feeling of being upset or annoyed due to being unable to change or achieve something.
Distress: Extreme, sorrow, or pain; mental or emotional suffering.
Trials: Tests or difficult experiences meant to prove, strengthen, or refine one’s faith.
Trouble: Problems, difficulties, or situations that cause concern or suffering.
This is the reality of life in a fallen world; difficult seasons are inevitable.
You may lose a loved one far sooner than you ever imagined. You may lose your job. You or someone you love may receive a devastating diagnosis. Your children may fall sick. You may experience grief, disappointment, financial hardship, or seasons where you’re flat out broke. You may face betrayal, you may be swindled out of money, or you may find yourself waiting much longer than you expected for a spouse, a child, or a long-awaited breakthrough. You may battle anxiety, depression, loneliness, or deep sorrow.
These are the realities of living in a fallen world, so the question isn’t if difficult seasons will come, because surely, they will.
The question is: How will you respond when they come?
1. Stop Being Surprised by Trouble
Jesus didn’t hide the terms and conditions of following Him. He never promised us a life free from pain, disappointment, hardship, or suffering. In fact, He said it plainly:
“In this world you will have trouble.”
So why are we surprised when trouble comes?
I am not talking about the initial shock that comes with devastating news.
Losing your job is shocking.
Receiving a cancer diagnosis is shocking.
Losing someone you love is heartbreaking.
Going through a miscarriage is devastating.
Those emotions are human and even Jesus wept at Lazarus’ tomb.
What I am referring to is something different: it’s the shock of believing you would go through life without ever experiencing hardship. It is the mindset that says, “How could God let this happen to me?” as if trouble was never supposed to touch your address.
But Jesus already told us that trouble would come.
So instead of beefing God and doubling down on the “woe is me” mindset, lean into Him for strength. Bring Him your questions, confusion, and your pain, and allow Him to help you make sense of the things that don’t make sense. Because the goal is not to respond according to what your emotions are telling you in that moment, instead respond according to what Jesus has instructed us to do when we face trouble.
2. Be of good cheer
Jesus doesn’t leave us at, “You will have trouble”, He continues by saying, “Take heart, be of good cheer, because I have overcome the world.”
But how can anyone be cheerful while they are suffering? How can someone still have joy in the middle of disappointment, grief, or hardship?
It is because Joy is a fruit of the Spirit and it is not dependent on external circumstances, or your current reality. It is rooted in the unchanging nature of God and the confidence that He is still good, even when life feels uncertain.
This is the standard for every believer: whether you are in a season of abundance or a season of difficulty, your Joy cannot be held hostage by your circumstances.
I know someone is probably asking, does that mean I can’t cry, or mourn or grieve when I’m experiencing trouble?
Being joyful does not mean you cannot cry. You can cry and still maintain your joy.
I know that sounds like an oxymoron, but it isn’t. Crying is a normal human response to pain, grief, and disappointment. Again, even Jesus wept. However, when your emotions start to become the main character in the story and begins to shift your attention away from God into despair, that is when it becomes dangerous.
So, take heart.
Be of good cheer.
And protect your joy at all cost.
3. Pray and investigate the trouble
Not every hard season is simply life lifing
Sometimes, the devil is manipulating a situation and using it as an opportunity to oppress you.
The question is: How do you know the difference?
Prayer.
Every hard season is an invitation to return to your Father and ask Him questions.
“Lord, what is happening in this season?”
“What are You teaching me?”
“Is this a season I need to endure?”
“Is this an attack from the enemy?”
Don’t make assumptions; instead, take the matter before God in prayer and investigate the matter and if you discern that it is a spiritual attack, then that is not the time to sulk, and accept what the enemy is doing. Rather, it is the time to stand firm, and enforce your victory in Christ.
Scripture tells us that Jesus has overcome the World, and as believers we have authority in His name, so stand on the Word of God, pray with that authority and in the understanding of who you are in Christ. “No gree” for the enemy.
But what if you discern you are in a waiting season?
Then, as strange as this may sound, congratulations.
James tells us to “Count it all joy, whenever we experience various trials, because we know that the testing of our faith produces endurance. And we must let that endurance have its full effect, so that we may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.” (James 1:2–4)
Waiting seasons are never wasted because God uses them to develop endurance, deepen our dependence on Him, refine our character, and prepare us for the next season. If you lean into Him instead of trying to escape the discomfort, you will come out stronger and better.
Prayer is a non-negotiable in this season, but let’s be honest, you don’t necessarily feel like praying when you are going through a difficult season.
At least, I don’t and when I was still a baby Christian, I would act on my feelings and not pray, but now, I know better.
A lot of us have made prayer feel like this complex activity, and we make it feel more complicated than it needs to be.
But prayer is communication with your Father.
God is your Father. Please let that sink in.
Prayer is telling Him exactly how you feel without sugarcoating your words. It is bringing your fears, worries, and frustrations to Him instead of acting on them.
Sometimes all you have the strength to say is:
“God… help me.” That’s prayer.
Sometimes all you can do is cry in His presence. I promise you, depending on the posture of your heart, that is also prayer.
Sometimes all you can do is play worship music and sing along.
Sometimes you simply leave the audio Bible playing while lying in bed.
Sometimes you call your friends and ask them to pray with you and for you. This is the one I lean into the most.
Sometimes I have a roster of friends I call every day to pray with me because I just don’t have the strength and it works like magic every time. I draw from their strength until I am able to start praying by myself again.
Also, make sure you draw strength from the Word of God and remind yourself of His promises. Usually when I’m in a difficult season, the Holy Spirit drops a Bible verse or a chapter in my spirit that speaks exactly to what I’m going through and I stay on those verses for weeks, sometimes even months.
If you aren’t getting any verses or chapters when you pray, read Psalms and encourage yourself in the Lord, just like David did.
4. Bask in your victory
Bask in the victory you already have in Christ. As a believer, you are victorious in every situation, and you always win. But one thing you must do is enforce your victory. Jesus has died for you, but you must enforce that victory by declaring the Word of God over your situation.
The Bible says, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him from them all.”
Bask in the victory that is already yours and remind yourself that God has delivered you and will continue to carry you through whatever you are facing. What you are walking through right now has an expiration date; it will not last forever. Continually anchor yourself in God’s truth, stand firmly on His promises, and embrace the victory He has given you, even in the midst of that season.
5. Be anxious for nothing
One of Satan’s favourite tactics during difficult seasons is to plague believers with anxiety, fear and worry. But remember that our brother Paul admonishes us to “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God.”
But let’s be honest, this is easier said than done, and I’m not saying there aren’t times when anxiety won’t try to rear its ugly head or when fear wont creep in, depending on what the matter is, but as believers we can’t embrace it. When I start to feel anxious about a particular matter, I take that anxiety to God, and I speak about it practically.
“God, this situation is making me nervous.”
“I am scared about my future, and I don’t know what to make of it”
“God, please I need Your help.”
Instead of dwelling on your worries, choose to replace them with the promises of God. Take the very thing that is causing you fear, uncertainty, or anxiety and bring it before your Father in prayer. Remember He is a good Father who deeply cares for you, sees you, and is attentive to every detail of your life and you can trust Him with the things that weigh heavily on your heart.
6. Stay in community
This is VERY important.
One of the most common things people do in hard seasons is withdraw, and I am one of those people. My first instinct is to delete all my social media apps, lol, and probably turn off my phone, and if I could delete my number, trust me, I probably would.
But this is one of the oldest tricks in the book. The enemy wants you isolated and he wants you to believe no one loves you, cares about you, and you must walk through everything alone so you can continue believing that lie.
But please, don’t isolate yourself. Instead, throw yourself into community.
Lean into your friends and family, lean into your church community, talk to your cell leaders, pastors, and other trusted believers. If you need financial help or any other form of support, please remember we don’t call ourselves brothers and sisters in Christ for no reason.
There is nothing new under the sun and there is nothing happening to you that someone else hasn’t already walked through. When God leads you to the right person, you will often discover that someone has survived exactly what you are facing right now and hearing their testimony will strengthen you in ways you never expected.
7. Take care of yourself
Please make sure you eat good food and enjoy yourself, because last last, you cannot come and kill yourself. Eat that pizza, grab that ice cream, go to the gym, go swimming, if you like reading and writing, find your community of readers or writers, and if you like golf, go golfing. Also make sure you are taking care of yourself and doing what fills you up. Indulge in the things that are genuinely good for your soul.
So yes, Jesus promised trouble, but He has also overcome the world, and He has promised us victory. So, when trouble comes, and it will, don’t panic, don’t assume God has abandoned you, and resist the urge to run from God, because He is with you even amid that difficult season.
I’ll leave you with the words of Jesus:
“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
With love,
Mo
How else can I say that this came at the right time?
Thank you, for this❤️😊
needed this today. i think a lot of us signed up for Jesus but not the "in this world you will have trouble" part. good cheer even in the mess is the actual test.