Were all familiar with the adage Murphy's law which says, " Anything that can go wrong will go wrong." Scripture makes it clear that whether we are saved and in fellowship with God or not problems and life crises will come our way. Job said, " man that is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble." Job 14:16 Some of us are on more of a first name basis with troubles than others. Rest assured that no matter how healthy or successful one may be we can never fend off the natural crisis moments of life. It does seem as though problems occur more often for Christian people. This is because Satan's priority is to destroy lives, and if He cannot take you to Hell with him, his next best option is to destroy your testimony in the world so that at least the others around you will stumble, and not come to saving faith. Jesus knew we would face the attacks of Satan and persecution. He knew that we would stumble and create problems for ourselves. He knew that the lost world would hate us. He gave us instructions on how to have peace through all circumstances. In John 16:33 He said, " These things i have spoken to you that you may have peace, in the world you will have tribulation; be of good cheer, i have overcome the world." John 16 while filled with hope for the future is pretty dark in their present, and for ours. He prepares His disciples for His crucifixion and departure from this world, and the struggles which come from being Christian. Saved and lost face struggles in this world but only Christians have a real hope and have the key to real peace. What then are we to do when the trials of life arise.
Understanding Why Things Went Wrong
Albert Einstein said, " we cannot solve the problem with the same thinking we used when we created the problem. We cannot avoid all of life's problems, nor can we solve them all. We could solve many of life's problems if we make the effort to discover what caused them in the first place.
All of life's problems and crisis are in one way or another caused by sin. We need to remember what we have been taught about Adam, Eve, and the Garden. They lived in a state of perfection in a perfect place. Life did not get hard and death did not come until sin entered the picture. When we face particular struggles, problems, or heart breaks it is for sure one of three things.
1.) Many things which go wrong in our lives are the natural course of life in a world cursed by sin.
There can be no greater hurtful life changing event that happens to us than the loss of a loved one. This is the result of our sin but because of particular sin. It is not the consequence or punishment for our bad behavior in most cases. Losing mom, dad, the spouse, or a child etc. is simply due to the fact that we are all cursed with a sin nature and live in a sin cursed world. Physical death came upon all mankind when Adam took the fruit from eve and ate. "Wherefore as by one man sin entered the world, and death by sin, for all have sinned...." Romans 5:12 We have to lose our loved ones to death because its the natural course of this life. It is also why faith in Jesus Christ and a life lived for him is so vitally important. This life is not the end of life, for we shall all live eternally either in Heaven or in Hell. Because we are sinners by nature and live in a sinful world, life is just naturally painful. The command to work came before sin entered the picture. God put them in the garden and told them to dress and keep it. In the curse levied against man we see that work became hard. God then added by the sweat of your brow. Sin makes what we are naturally supposed to do become difficult. Roses are beautiful and the fragrance wonderful but if not dealt with carefully will cause great pain.
2.) Some of our struggles, troubles and pains are the result of the sins of others. We do not live in a bubble and our actions do affect the lives of others. There are thousands of people's lives who have forever been changed by drunk drivers. The innocent guy who just lost his life savings to the thief who broke in has a serious problem which he himself did not cause. We do others wrong and they do us wrong and one thing we know for sure. There are times in our lives when we suffer for things which we did not do. After we have done everything we can think of right to do, loved ones will still mistreat us, and do us wrong. When we've been walking along our life's path there will be times when people will commit evil against us. Be assured that when we are doing the best we can to follow Christ and do His will for our lives Satan will attack with everything He can. He will tell us every lie He has to. He will offer any false blessing He thinks we might want. He will bring any enemy He can find to damage our relationship with Christ and His children.
We must understand that the attacks of Satan and the evil perpetrated on us by others is never an excuse for bad behavior. I Corinthians 10:13 makes it clear that all temptation that comes to us is common and that God has and will make a way for us to bear it and to overcome it.
3.) Most of our problems in this life are the result of our own sin.
Let's face it we a human beings are dumb. We do dumb things. One of the most famous passages of Scripture is the twenty third psalm. He begins by referring to God as our shepherd. Scripture calls us His sheep. Sheep are quite possibly the dumbest animal on planet earth. It's frail. It can't take care of itself. It is rebellious and does tend to wander off. They had the constant watch of a shepherd, now we build fences but the principle is the same. Just like sheep when we fail to live in the confines of the shepherd's watch we get into trouble. If we interpret scripture correctly we see the results of this in the psalm. The staff of the shepherd has two parts. The curve, the part that looks like a cane, is to pull the sheep back and remove it from harms way. The staff was often used as punishment. When the sheep would run off and the shepherd would bring the sheep back He would break their legs so they could not run off again, and so that when they healed they would learn not to run off again. Make no mistake God does discipline His Children. Hebrews 12:6-11 says this, " for whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son He receives. If you endure chastening then God deals with you as sons; for what son is there whom the father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening of which we are all partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore we have all had fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more be in subjection to the father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems joyful for the present, but painful, nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." Sin carries with it certain consequences. Occultists sometimes refer to it as Karma, which simply says you get what you deserve, or what goes around comes around. Karma should never be believed of taught among Christians. With true repentance Christianity teaches that we get much better than we deserve. What we must deal with in our lives is the natural law of sowing and reaping. "Be not deceived, God is not mocked; whatsoever a man sows that shall he also reap." Galatians 6:7 If you plant corn you will reap corn. If you plant peas you will reap peas. If you sow a sinful lifestyle you will reap the fruits of your own sin. I have certainly never been much to take care of my health and so i often refer to parts of my health problems as self inflicted injuries. After the laughter is over the sad fact is that, it's true, and there would be no point denying it. I know a person right now who for many months now has been reaping the effects of a really bad decision and continued open resistance to God's word and principles. The sad state is that with so many; they have neither the desire or the faith and courage to change their situations.
How To Achieve Peace
Remember that Jesus said He said what He did that we might have peace. He said we would have tribulation but to be of good cheer. He overcame the world. The letter to the Hebrews said that we could have the peaceful fruit of righteousness if we learn from his discipline. It may seem cliche' but the best formula given in Scripture for the peace of God which Scripture says passes all understanding, (Phil. 4:7) can be found in putting into action the famous serenity prayer.
We must first have the serenity (peaceful faith) to accept the things we cannot change. We cannot bring loved ones back, but we can honor their memories with the way we live our own lives. We cannot always regain certain things that we've lost or that have been taken from us, but we can learn to forgive without exception. We cannot always change the actions of others but we can lovingly change the way we view and respond to them. We cannot always repair damage we may have done by past mistakes and sins, but we can accept the responsibility and live peacefully learning from the consequences of them. We cannot always get the things we want in life or even the things we think we need, but we can learn to do without them until God chooses to provide. Probably most important is learning to live in peace with our lives as they are. What is the famous cliche'? The grass is always greener on the other side. Some people are so discontented that no matter how good they have it they will always be looking for the better deal. Most of the time they would be throwing away what was best for them and reaping a harvest of destruction. Satan does give blessings for a moment, but they are always designed for our destruction. Proverbs 16:25 tells us that there is a way which seems to be right to us but the end result is death. Paul declared in Phil. 4:11-13 that he had learned that whatever state he was in to be contented. God can and certainly does change things in our lives, but it is always according to His will and in keeping with the integrity of His word. If what you desire is in contradiction with His word, He is not going to help you. When you learn to deal honestly and right with what God has already given you then He may bless you with better.
We must have the Courage to change the things we can.
Our lives get to be a mess sometimes because we are out of the will of God and we have not only blocked His blessings, but in many cases invoked his wrath. When we are in direct contradiction to God's word we harm ourselves and all those around us. Repentance means to change our minds. Confession means to see things the way the other sees it. When we confess our sin we admit to God that He is right and that the charges are true. Repentance is when we change what we are doing according to our confession. I knew a man many years ago who left His wife, and moved in with His girlfriend. In a moment of emotionalism and regret for the consequences He apologized to His church, His wife, and to His children. The problem is that after it was over He went back to His girlfriends house. That is not true confession, and is certainly not repentance. Matthew 3:8 says to do works worthy of repentance. When we repent if we have the ability at all we immediately start trying to fix the problem. It's also worthy to note that as Christians when a person repents we have no right not to forgive. Let's get it straight though; there is no forgiveness until there is true repentance. We cannot change the sins of the past but we can stop doing them. If we are to have peace in our hearts and a right relationship with God it is a given. Some things in our lives we do not have to pray about. If we can find anything in Scripture we should be doing; Just do it. If we find anything in the scripture we should not do; Just don't do it. If we are committing sins; Just stop doing them. In Philippians chapter 3 Paul deals with staying away from evil doers, and discussing the change that takes place when we follow Christ. All this leads in to chapter 4 where He says to let your moderation be known to all men, and gives us the way in which we seek God without worry, and with a heart of gratitude. He then tells us that the peace of God which passes understanding will guard our hearts. Our lives are a mess because we do not have the faith and courage to do what it takes to be in tune with God. We may not be able to fix every problem we have created but many we can. Even with the law of sowing and reaping He gives us opportunity. If you planted corn but changed and now know you need peas, simply plow up the corn and begin planting the seed for which crop you will be pleased. Begin planting the seed for which harvest God will be pleased. If you've lost trust, start being honest, and eventually the harvest will come in and you'll be trusted. If you didn't raise your children right and they are grown, you can't change the past, but you can repent and let them see you now following the Lord. The bottom line here is that we cannot have true peace while we are in opposition to what God wants for us.
We must exercise the wisdom to know what can be changed and what cannot. Solomon said that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. The same way children have a reverent fear of daddy's belt, we must also have a reverent fear of what God is capable of. No matter what state our lives are in Scripture gives us a formula for peace in our hearts. Rest assured though that there is no real peace for us when we know the will and the word of God and refuse to follow. Proverbs 28:1 says that the wicked run away when no one is chasing them. You can live a life of delusion, lies, and paranoia, or you can embrace the wonderful peace that God has for you. He gives us the choice, and warns us of the consequences.
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