A few years ago, I heard about a man who weighed 800 pounds and had been bedridden for a long time. He had become so disabled because of his weight that not only had he not left the house in years, but he couldn’t even get up to go from one room to another.
A team of doctors was called. The man told the doctors that he couldn’t even get up to go to the bathroom. The head doctor told him, “I want to be real with you. If you don’t get up out of that bed, then you’re going to die.” At first, the man resisted because he no longer believed it was possible for him to change his own circumstances. But these doctors provoked him in a very confrontational way until he responded with action.
At first, progress was slow. It took a week before he was able to make it to his own bathroom. But he remembered being provoked by the doctors—they were testing his resolve. With time, he was able to get around his house well enough, and he arranged to have a hole cut into the side of his house and converted into a double-sized door so he could leave his house. After a number of very difficult years, he dropped down to 250 pounds and started living a normal life again.
For some of you, 2017 was a tough year. Maybe you are facing challenges at home or lost a job or are still dealing with a health problem. In the midst of your difficulty, you might be saying to yourself, “I can’t see a way out of this.” If that’s you today, I have a few words for you.
Your present consequences can lead to future success.
First, you should know that you’re not alone. The Bible tells us that we have a friend who sticks closer than a brother, and His name is Jesus. He will never leave you or forsake you.
Second, I want you to know that no matter how big the circumstances are that you are facing today, you have an infinitely bigger God willing to see you through them.
Third, and most importantly, it’s possible that by allowing you to go through difficult situations, that God is, in fact, provoking you—testing your resolve to stay faithful to Him.
The truth is that God often places us in circumstances to test us. And when God’s sovereignty allows you to be tested, not only is He able to reverse your predicament, He can give you opportunities from that predicament that you never even thought possible. In short, your present consequences can lead to future success.
So, 2018 doesn’t have to be a repeat of 2017. God is both capable and willing to reverse course on an otherwise impossible situation you’re facing. Trust Him to turn it around for you!
Why We Do What We Do
"I recently lost my home in the California wildfires. Some say I lost everything, but I wouldn’t trade the experience of awe and wonder of God’s power at work before my very eyes for anything! The fire was a gift. Because of it, two firefighters God placed in my life gave their lives to Jesus that night."
—Carol
