the Amplified translation for Psalm chapter 34: 19 says many hardships and perplexing circumstances confront the righteous but the Lord rescues him from them all this is really a remarkable passage of scripture and it's one that is often overlooked as Christians we have not been promised a life free from hardships we have not been promised a trouble-free life on the contrary God has promised to be our rescue now hardship in life can come in many forms and so long as you are living in this world trouble and hardships are simply a part of life I would
even say this is the case more so if you are a Christian because Jesus said in John 15: 18 to 21 if the world hates you keep in mind that it hated me first if you belong to the world it would love you as its own as it is you do not belong to this world but I have chosen you out of the world that is why the world hates you remember what I told you a servant is not greater than his master if they persecuted me they will persecute you also if they obeyed my
teaching they will obey yours also they will treat you this way because of my name for they do not know the one who sent me now the question for us is how do we handle being hated by the world how do we handle being persecuted by the world well I have one passage of scripture to help you in this area 1 Peter 4:13 to6 says but rejoice in as much as you participate in the sufferings of Christ so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed if you are insulted because of the name
of Christ you are blessed for the spirit of Glory in God rests on you if you suffer it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal or even a medler however if you suffer as a Christian do not be ashamed but praise God that you bear that name when you suffer because you are a Christian when you suffer because of your belief in the Lord be strengthened by the word of God because the Bible says you are blessed for the spirit of glory and of God rests on you so
let me encourage you and tell you should you face the hardships of life because you are a Christian you're blessed because as you partake in the suffering because of Christ you will be overjoyed in glory when the Lord returns you will be rewarded for your faithfulness and should you face the hardships of life should you encounter the many afflictions that we all face in life then we have a promise to hold on to and that promise is that many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers him out of them all regardless of
the type of trouble you face or the form it comes in so long as you are in the Lord you will overcome now let us pray dear Lord you are our Sovereign God you possess Supreme and ultimate power you possess all authority all power and knowledge and so your ways are higher than my ways when your word tells me that many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers him out of them all I will hold on to this promise and believe it because you know better than I do I have faith that
you are a God who speaks truth and you are not like man that you should lie Lord your word tells me that all things work together for my good and although my carnal mind may want to understand how and why and when I submit that my mind is limited my understanding is limited and all I can do is to place my trust in you you are a God who honors his word and I pray that you would open my eyes of faith help me to walk by faith and not by sight so that I can
see your hand and your goodness in every situation regardless of how painful as I encounter any hardships in my life I pray that you would give me the understanding that at times you allow me to face certain trials in order to achieve a specific purpose in my life help me to remember what your word says in James 1: 2:4 consider it pure joy my brothers and sisters whenever you face Trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and
complete and not lacking anything I pray that the testing of my faith would bring about a higher level of spiritual maturity within my life may the testing of my faith produce fertile ground for a strong Godly character within me help me to understand that there there is a purpose you want to achieve when you allow me to face certain difficulties a purpose such as unlocking a stronger desire for seeking your presence a purpose such as Awakening a hunger for righteousness and Holiness like never before or perhaps the purpose of my faith being tested is to
expose the gifts and the calling that lays dormant inside of me whatever it may be may your will be done in my life King Jesus through every situation and every difficulty I may face I pray that you would become more and more real to me Lord your words in Romans 15: 13 says may the god of Hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in Hope regardless of that trial or difficulty I may face I pray that I may abound in Hope
through the power of the Holy Spirit I am thankful for your protection thank you for being my safe place for being my refuge I am thankful for your wonderful care and Tender Mercies I am seeking your powerful protection over my life I am aware King Jesus that we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities against Powers against spiritual wickedness in high places and Lord this highlights the need I have for your heavenly protection this highlights the need for the blood of Jesus Christ to cover me and my family your word says the angel
of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him and delivers them taste and see that the Lord is good blessed is the man who trusts in him thank you for your promise of protection I pray that your angels would encamp around my home and offer me Divine protection from the enemy may your presence be felt strongly in this place strengthen me so that I will be able to withstand the storms of life and the challenges that I face daily strengthen me so that I will be able to withstand the attacks from the enemy give
me the power I need to overcome give me peace so that I will not allow fear and anxiety to hold me back I put my trust in you as I seek your blessings of divine protection today I refuse to let anxiety or fear become my companion help me to trust in you and not to worry help me to trust in your ability to keep me safe and secure I am blessed because I am under the care of Jehovah I am blessed because you watch over me each and every day I am blessed and protected because
you go before me Lord Jesus and you watch over my coming in and going out I will rejoice always because of you I will put my faith in you regardless of what I'm facing I will give my thanks to you in all my circumstances because you have a plan for my life that is Divine Purpose I trust that all my steps are ordered by you I have confidence in your word that tells me to approach the throne of grace boldly and I have confidence that if I ask anything according to your will then I know
that you will hear me I simply want to take time out of my day and say thank you thank you for being good to me thank you for being patient with me father I pray that I will always abide under your Shadow meaning that I am always close to you and you're always near to me I will say to you Lord you are my safe place and you are my strong tower you are my God and I am trusting in you to be with me always and to be my Defender you Lord Jesus are faithful
and I trust and believe that you will strengthen me and protect me from the evil one I thank you today for blessing me with peace thank you for blessing me with a calm spirit and a heart that is not troubled Lord I pray that you would help me grant me the grace Lord Jesus to face my mountains to face my Goliath with no fear my Lord will deliver he will uplift me and protect me from all harm thank you for listening to my prayer be blessed and glorified in Jesus's mighty name I pray amen many
hardships and perplexing circumstances confront the righteous but the Lord rescues him from them all if the world hates you keep in mind that it hated me first if you belong to the world it would love you as its own as it is you do not belong to this world but I have chosen you out of the world that is why the world hates you remember what I told you a servant is not greater than his master if they persecuted me they will persecute you also if they obeyed my teaching they will obey yours also they
will treat you this way because of my name for they do not know the one who sent me the Bible says in 2 Thessalonians 3:3 but the Lord is faithful and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one God in his faithfulness has promised to protect us from the evil one and on this topic of God's protection I believe that because God works in ways that we don't understand his protection comes in many different forms Ms of course God protects Us in the physical as well as the spiritual however I also believe
that sometimes God's protection it comes in the form of peace and strength in the middle of Despair and Chaos other times God's protection comes in the form of one door closing because he sees something more on the horizon that we cannot see and I also believe that at times s God protects Us by not giving us what we want because that very thing that we want so badly it could be the very thing that ends up badly hurting us overall we need to remember what 2 Thessalonians 3:3 says but the Lord is faithful and he
will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one the bottom line is that the Lord is faithful he is so faithful that he neither sleeps nor Slumbers because he's watching over us God is so faithful that even the very hairs on your head they are all numbered he's so faithful that before you were formed in your mother's womb he already knew you one passage of scripture that I'd like to highlight is Revelation 5:5 it reads then one of the elders said to me do not weep see the lion of the tribe of Judah the
root of David has triumphed he is able to open the scroll and its Seven Seals I believe that this verse in Revelation is a word that we all need to hold on to and we need to receive this word because I believe that when it says do not weep the Bible is telling us to stop worrying cease your Sorrowing don't be cast down and do not be in despair the lion of the tribe of Judah has prevailed in other words he has overcome he's come out on top he has triumphed he has conquered and this
is what we need to receive and understand Jesus Christ The Lion of the tribe of Judah the root of David has prevailed he has mastered all things he has won all battles he is in command and he is Victorious and he will he will reign forever and ever and so Saints when we think of protection we ought to know who protects us we ought to be aware of the might and the power that the Lord has it's in Jesus Christ that we have our protection many of us try to orchestrate and control everything in our
lives until one day we're faced with things that are outside of our control and the truth is the most important things in life are out of our control you can exercise and diet all you want but disease can still come knocking on your door we can build magnificent buildings and structures but we must still bow to the power of a tornado a hurricane or an earthquake these things remind us that we are not in control but I want you to understand that it's during Times Like These when we feel out of control that we are
reminded of the purpose of faith Faith enables us to be comfortably out of control even though we cannot control things like disease nature or death we have faith that God has a plan and that God will have the last word and so as we approach the throne of grace let us ask God to help us to move into a space where we are comfortable without knowing ask him to move us to a place where we can be comfortable not because we have all the answers but because we know who our answer is his name is
Jesus now let's pray together Lord Jesus I thank you for your faithfulness I Thank You for Your Divine protection you're the God who defends me you you are the God who fights for me you are the God who goes before me and surrounds me your word in Psalm 125 veres 1 and 2 it says Those Who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion which cannot be moved but abides forever as the mountain surround Jerusalem so the Lord surrounds his people from this time forth and forever more so we look to you today Father because
you are our defense I pray that you'd protect me in every storm and God if it's your will that I should endure any storm then I pray that you'd give me the grace and the strength that's necessary to withstand it Lord together with everyone listening I pray and I ask that you would protect us from the enemy so that he may never steal our joy or our strength protect us father and help us to guard our thoughts so that they may never be out of control and sinful let your peace rule in our hearts and
may your angels encamp around us and around our homes my god Jehovah if you are my refuge if you are my Fortress if you are for me then who can be against me all that I can ever need and desire can surely be found in you a God who has proved himself throughout the ages to be neither weak nor mortal you Lord are not unstable like man you are neither fickle nor false you are the almighty and I can safely place my life in your hands because I know that but in you there is no
danger of me being disappointed in you father I'll place all my trust I'll praise you Lord because no one can challenge you you are without equal you are unrivaled you are unmatched father help me to fearlessly believe in Exodus 14:4 it says the Lord will fight for you and you shall hold your peace God help us to boldly embrace your word help us to embrace it boldly with no doubt help us to declare and hold on to Isaiah 40: 29-31 he gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak even youths grow
tired and weary and young men stumble and fall but those who hope in the Lord will re knew their strength they will soar on wings like eagles they will run and not grow weary they will walk and not be faint I pray for strong faith God I pray that I may stand up for Jesus Christ and testify of how he turned my mourning into dancing give me strong faith Lord so that I may stand on your word in a world that is lost in a world that a aims to discourage and drain hope as your
children we pray for the faith that will enable us to live in The Authority that we have been given in Luke 10: 19 behold I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt you I declare and decree Deuteronomy 28: verse six over my life that I will be blessed in my coming in and blessed in my going out because you watch over me I declare Psalm 91:10 over my life and over my family and I say that no harm
will overtake me no disaster will come near my tent no evil shall befall me nor shall any plague come near my dwelling in the name of Jesus Christ I pray God I stand in faith today covered by the power that's in the almighty name of Jesus Christ I Stand today concealed and wrapped by the blood of Jesus which is miraculous and able to defeat all evil I stand shielded and protected by the Holy Ghost you Lord Jesus are the lion of the tribe of Judah and I pray that you would defeat every demon from from
hell that is sent by the enemy to try and attack me I pray that you disarm every unclean spirit that seeks to creep into my house or into my life I pray that you destroy every generational curse every negative word spoken against me in the mighty name of Jesus God I pray that your presence would always surround me and Lord I Thank you for all the goodness that you offer offer I'll continually place my trust in you God help me not to lean on my own understanding because you are an all knowing god so my
trust it's in you Lord Jesus I bless your name and I thank you I thank you for your wonderful love I thank you for your kindness and I thank you for your protection it's in the mighty and precious name name of Jesus Christ that I pray this prayer [Music] amen if you are worried about something the remedy is the word of God if you are fearful about something the antidote is the word of God if you are anxious about anything anything at all the Cure is the word word of God all in all as you
get to know God's word you get to know God's voice as you get to know God's voice you'll know that fear and worry are not from God Jesus Christ said do not be anxious about your life and I believe he said this because one of the biggest enemies you will ever face will come in the form of worry and anxiety and in life I'm sure we can all agree that there will be things in your control that you'll worry about there'll be things that are out of your control that you'll worry about and while it
is so easy to fall in a state of worry in one of his teachings Jesus gave us the message that we should not worry about tomorrow tomorrow will take care of itself and I believe that the Lord was telling us to be present in the moment be at peace today be joyful today if you spend your time and energy worrying then you will always magnify the lack in your life or the pain in your life but should you instead choose to adopt a new attitude where you do not worry about tomorrow an attitude where you're
thanking the lord for today you're thanking God for his goodness even while you're waiting on your Miracle you're thanking God for what he has provided even though there are things you lack when you do this then you magnify Jesus Christ instead of your problem but here's what the Bible says in Matthew 6: 25-27 therefore I tell you do not be anxious about your life what you will eat or what you will drink nor about your body what you will put on is not life more than food and the body more than clothing look at the
birds of the air they neither seow nor reap nor gather into Barns and yet your heavenly father feeds them are you not of more value than they and which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life I believe that the Lord wants us to stop worrying to stop pondering and wondering about what might happen tomorrow stop spending your effort and your energy by thinking about what could happen tomorrow or even that what should happen you are blessed in this very moment and on this day one Pastor said don't
borrow trouble which means don't worry about all of the wha ifs we could face someday what if there is a Health crisis a financial setback or even this type of problem don't borrow trouble from the future but instead walk by faith and not by sight the thing that God really cares about is Faith the Bible clearly tells us that it's faith that pleases God not prayer not reading his word but faith God loves the person who believes you have to believe you have to have faith in him are you standing in faith are you living
by faith are you walking by faith faith is a life of action based on what you believe to be true for an example the action of not worrying that is a result of you having the faith that God is in control the action of not trying to fix everything that too is a result of you having the faith that God is in control Jesus Christ said let not your hearts be troubled why did he say this because he wants you to have faith that he will take care of all your needs another way to understand
or Define faith can be summed up in the following way way Faith is doing your part which is trusting God to do his part your part is to believe that's all you need to do and then you leave God to do his part your part is to stand on God's word his word that says nothing is impossible with God so let me ask you are you doing your part are you believing are you believing and standing on God's word are you walking by faith and not by sight strong faith comes from knowing and believing that
Jesus Christ not only rose from the dead but he defeated the devil he defeated death hell and the grave strong faith comes from meditating on God's word strong faith is cultivated and developed when you not only read the word of God but you internalize it you Ponder on it and dwell on it I would even go as far as saying strong faith comes as a product of great trials because the Bible says in James 1 verse 2 to 4 dear brothers and sisters when Troubles of any kind come your way consider it an opportunity for
great joy for you know that when your faith is tested your endurance has a chance to grow so let it grow for when your endurance is fully developed you will be perfect and complete needing nothing no matter what your hardship might be be strong in faith don't allow yourself to be moved because as soon as you let go of God's sure promises you are bound to get swept up into the madness of this world Jesus Christ is the only sure foundation in this fickle and everchanging world he is our steadfast anchor so I encourage you
today to stay present with the Lord stay present in your mind and in your soul by acknowledging Psalm 118: 24 this is the day that the Lord has made we will rejoice and be glad in it now let us pray Lord Jesus we praise you your word in 2 Corinthians 12:9 says my grace is sufficient for you for my strength is made perfect in weakness therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities that the power of Christ May rest upon me you are with us Lord and we are grateful as your children we
are grateful that you are with us and your grace is always available and sufficient for our needs we choose to focus on the Healer instead of the SA Ness we choose to focus on the provider instead of the lack we choose to focus on the way maker instead of the obstacles ahead we choose to focus on you King Jesus because we find favor in you we find protection in you we find Mercy in you we put all focus and attention on you we magnify you above Jesus we magnify you above the Troubles of Tomorrow we
magnify you and put you above every Health crisis every Financial setback and every problem father God we will not worry about tomorrow because of your word father we sincerely ask that you would open your ears to hear our cry give us a mind filled with peace and during those times in which my heart is heavy I pray that you would make my burdens light whenever the attacks of the enemy are many I pray that you would defend me Lord fight for me and my family fight my battles Lord though the adversary prows around like a
roaring lion seeking whom he may devour I confess that I will be kept safe by the blood of Jesus Christ God will intervene in my service circumstances God will take away the worry and give me peace in my heart may you intervene in my Affairs and show your might David cried in Psalm 35:1 and said plead my cause oh Lord with those who strive with me fight against those who fight against me and so today I too will call upon the name of the Lord so that he may plead my cause I will call on
the name of the Lord when I need divine intervention I will ask you my Father in heaven to step in just as you did for Daniel for Elijah and even for Elisha we invite you Lord Jesus to move in a mighty way move in a mighty way in our lives Lord clear every trap that the devil has hidden in my path path I pray that you would guard my mind against discouraging and depressing thoughts I reuke all thoughts of worry and anxiety about what tomorrow holds about what the future may hold instead I choose to
have peace because I will have faith in you Lord and when the enemy throws darts of confusion of depression doubt and even despair trying to weaken my faith or steal my joy I pray Lord Jesus that you will protect my mind with the helmet of salvation even in this present moment if I do struggle to live with the uncertainty of this world and all that is going on I pray that you would help me to keep my mind focused on you I bless your holy name and I thank you for hearing this prayer in the
mighty name of Jesus Christ I pray amen what if God is testing me have you ever asked yourself this question in the middle of a problem in the middle of some kind of difficulty have you ever stopped to think God are you testing my faith are you testing me to see just how much I trust in you and often times you won't see the goodness of God while you are in the test test but it's only when you look back it's once you've gone through the test that you can really see that God always had
you covered for example let's say you wanted a corporate job at one of the country's leading companies you fast and you pray for this job you sharpen your skills and you're primed to take the opportunity but you don't end up being offered the position what happens then is your f destroyed is God no longer good in your eyes or will you trust him and believe that God has something better for you it's in situations like this that God wants to see if the external affects your internal meaning do you stop praying do you stop praising
the Lord simply because you didn't get what you want or do you praise him regardless of the issue you're facing and regardless of the struggle you're in throughout the Bible God has tested his people not to catch them out but to help them mature and grow in their walk with the Lord job's Faith was tested he was a righteous man an upright man but yet he lost his wealth his family and his health yet he remained Stead fast in his faith and that's our challenge can we remain steadfast in faith when things seemingly don't go
our way can we remain confident that God's promises are true even though our situation says otherwise to take it a step further how often do we pray that God would test our hearts so that no corrupt thing would be found in our lives in Psalm 26 David is speaking to God in a way that really highlights a close relationship because in this chapter he's praying to the Lord and asking him to examine his heart in addition to this David is putting his case forward to the Lord by saying I do not sit with the deceitful
I love the house where you live I lead a blameless life I believe that David is in a way pleading with the Lord in a manner that suggests God search me so that I can please you more because I currently do this and that but it's not enough Psalm 26 verse 1 to2 vindicate me Lord for I have led a blameless life I have trusted in the Lord and have not faltered test me Lord and try me examine my heart and my mind for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love and have lived
in Reliance on your faithfulness I do not sit with the deceitful nor do I associate with Hypocrites I abhor the Assembly of evildoers and refuse to sit with the wicked I wash my hands in innocence and go about your altar Lord proclaiming aloud your praise and telling of all your wonderful Deeds Lord I love the house where you live the place where your glory dwells do not take my soul along with Sinners my life with those who are bloodthirsty in whose hands are wicked schemes whose right hands are full of bribes I lead a blame
life deliver me and be merciful to me my feet stand on level ground in the great congregation I will praise the Lord dear friend it's important for us to pray and say examine me oh Lord and try me test my heart and my mind this is prayer that says God outwardly I may be reading the Bible every day I'm giving to the poor I'm spending time in prayer and I'm loving my neighbor however Lord would you search my motivation for doing this what is driving me is it my own self-righteousness or am I genuinely doing
these things for your glory we need to pray for God to test our hearts and examine us no Christian goes through through this life without feeling weak in their faith at times but we all can take comfort in knowing that our God is Emmanuel he is with us in every season whether it's good or bad we can go from feeling joyful and close to the Lord in one season and then here comes a season where you feel like God is distant and all your prayers have gone unanswered I'm talking about SE where we wrestle with
our doubts and questions wondering if God even hears us or if he's still with us it's the type of season that tests your faith and your resilience and the thing about faith through different seasons is that you'll hear people talk about faith when things are good I knew things would turn around if I just had faith you'll hear people recommend faith when they're not sure what to say I'm sorry you're going going through a rough time just have faith and when others seem unfazed by life's obstacles they might tell you it's because they have faith
but what does that mean Hebrews 11:1 defines Faith as the substance of things hoped for the evidence of Things Not Seen Hebrews 11:6 says and without faith it is impossible to please him for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek Him Faith causes us to act on what we haven't experienced yet it causes us to believe promises in the Bible that haven't been fulfilled yet and Faith causes us to trust God when our situations haven't changed yet consider this Bible scenario take David and the
story of how he killed Goliath at the time David was a Shepherd boy not a warrior but when he saw Goliath mocking God's people David approached the king and asked to go down and fight just picture the babysitter next door or the kid who delivers your papers telling the president let me handle this one David's ability not to be shaken by Goliath's size resulted from David's faith in God David tells the king in 1st Samuel 17:37 the Lord who delivered me from the Paw of the lion and from the Paw of the bear will deliver
me from the hand of this Philistine and Saul said to David go and the Lord be with you David had faith that God would defeat the giant and deliver his people what an amazing picture of what what our lives can be when we have faith in God when we are right with God we never go into turmoil alone we have the creator of the universe on our side faith in God is what allows us to experience stability in the middle of instability when life feels out of control we take comfort in knowing that God is
in control faith can do a lot of things in your life if you let it it will help you to grow up and wholly lean on rely on and trust in Jesus Christ let us pray heavenly father thank you for helping me to make it through the difficult seasons of my life thank you for your love for me that never ends thank you for your powerful daily presence in my life I'm grateful that I can be assured of your thoughts towards me thoughts that are good and not of evil thank you that your eyes are
over me and your ears are open to my prayers thank you that you've carried me through the uncertainty of deep Waters Through the flames of Trials and through the pain of hard losses Lord thank you that my comfort abounds through you thank you Lord that through every weakness and hard place your strength is displayed in my life may you continue to strengthen me Jesus give me the type of faith that can move mountains help me to depend on you to do what I think I cannot do and help me to remember that the gift of
Christ Emmanuel is my greatest treasure fill me with your joy and the Peace of your spirit direct my heart and mind towards you let your strength alone sustain me teach me to come to you daily in faith your word in Luke 17:5 says the apostles said to the Lord increase our faith Lord I need you to increase my faith increase my faith and make me a mover of mountains Lord Jesus you are the king of kings and your word says the righteous shall live by faith mold me in your image and fill my heart with
faith in you your word in Mark 11: 22- 24 says and Jesus answered them have faith in God truly I say to you whoever says to this mountain be taken up and thrown into the sea and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will come to pass it will be done for him therefore I tell you whatever you ask in prayer believe that you have received it and it will be yours God my actions Lord so that I can live by faith and so that I can have life in you
abundantly and eternally cleanse my thoughts of impurities dear God keep my eyes fixed on you and you alone help me to keep walking beside you help me to be steadfast in my faith in you help me to trust in you without reservation James 1:6 says but let him ask in faith with no doubting for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind Lord I pray that I would be filled with your Holy Spirit may I be filled by the holy spirit so that I will
have no room for doubt and fear in my life thank you God for your faithfulness and thank you for the crown of joy that awaits me forever in your kingdom in Jesus name I pray amen vindicate me Lord for I have led a blameless life I have trusted in the Lord and have not faltered test me Lord and try me examine my heart and my mind for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love and have lived in Reliance on your faithfulness I do not sit with the deceitful nor do I associate with Hypocrites
I abhor the Assembly of evildoers and refuse to sit with the wicked I wash my hands in innocence and go about your altar Lord proclaiming aloud your praise and telling of all your wonderful Deeds Lord I love the house where you live the place where your glory dwells do not take my soul along with Sinners my life with those who are bloodthirsty in whose hands are wicked schemes whose right hands are full of bribes I lead a blameless life deliver me and be merciful to me my feet stand on level ground in the great congregation
I will praise the Lord the Lord who delivered me from the Paw of the lion and from the Paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine and Saul said to David go and the Lord be with you the Amplified translation for Psalm 34: 19 says many hardships and perplexing circumstances confront the righteous but the Lord rescues him from them all this is really a remarkable passage of scripture and it's one that is often overlooked and as Christians we have not been promised a life free from hardships we have not been
promised a trouble-free life on the contrary God has promised to be our rescue now hardship in life can come in many forms and so long as you are living in this world trouble and hardships are simply a part of life I would even say this is the case more so if you are a Christian because Jesus said in John 15 verse 18- 21 if the world hates you keep in mind that it hated me first if you belong to the world it would love you as its own as it is you do not belong to
this world but I have chosen you out of the world that is why the world hates you remember what I told you a servant is not greater than his master if if they persecuted me they will persecute you also if they obeyed my teaching they will obey yours also they will treat you this way because of my name for they do not know the one who sent me now the question for us is how do we handle being hated by the world how do we handle being persecuted by the world well I have one passage
of scripture to help you in this area Area 1 Peter 4: 13-16 says but rejoice in as much as you participate in the sufferings of Christ so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed if you are insulted because of the name of Christ you are blessed for the spirit of Glory in God rests on you if you suffer it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal or even a meddler however if you suffer as a Christian do not be ashamed but praise God that you bear
that name when you suffer because you are a Christian when you suffer because of your belief in the Lord be strengthened by the word of God because the Bible says you are blessed for the spirit of glory and of God rests on you so let me encourage you and tell you should you face the hardships of life because you are a Christian you're blessed because as you partake in the suffering because of Christ you will be overjoyed in glory when the Lord returns you will be rewarded for your faithfulness and should you face the hardships
of life should you encounter the many afflictions that we all face in life then we have a promise to hold on to and that promise is that many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers him out of them all regardless of the type of trouble you face or the form it comes in so long as you are in the Lord you will overcome now let us pray dear Lord you are our Sovereign God you possess Supreme and ultimate power you possess all authority all power and knowledge and so your ways are higher
than my way ways when your word tells me that many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers him out of them all I will hold on to this promise and believe it because you know better than I do I have faith that you are a God who speaks truth and you are not like man that you should lie Lord your word tells me that all things work together for my good and although my carnal mind may want to understand how and why and when I submit that my mind is limited my understanding
is limited and all I can do is to place my trust in you you are a God who honors his word and I pray that you would open my eyes of faith help me to walk by faith and not by sight so that I can see your hand and your goodness in every situation regardless of how painful as I encounter any hardships in my life I pray that you would give me the understanding that at times you allow me to face certain trials in order to achieve a specific purpose in my life help me to
remember what your word says in James 1 verse 2 to 4 consider it pure joy my brothers and sisters whenever you face Trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete and not lacking anything I pray that the testing of my faith would bring about a higher level of spiritual maturity within my life may the testing of my faith produce fertile ground for a strong Godly character within me help me to understand that there is a purpose
you want to achieve when you allow me to face certain difficulties a purpose such as unlocking a stronger desire for seeking your presence a purpose such as Awakening a hunger for righteousness and Holiness like never before or perhaps the purpose of my faith being tested is to expose the gifts and the calling that lays dormant inside of me whatever it may be may your will be done in my life King Jesus through every situation and every difficulty I may face I pray that you would become more and more real to me Lord your words in
Romans 15:13 says may the god of Hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing so that by the the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in Hope regardless of that trial or difficulty I may face I pray that I may abound in Hope through the power of the Holy Spirit I am thankful for your protection thank you for being my safe place for being my refuge I am thankful for your wonderful care and Tender Mercies I am seeking your power ful protection over my life I am aware King Jesus that we
wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities against Powers against spiritual wickedness in high places and Lord this highlights the need I have for your heavenly protection this highlights the need for the blood of Jesus Christ to cover me and my family your word says the angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him and delivers them taste and see that the Lord is good blessed is the man who trusts in him thank you for your promise of protection I pray that your angels would encamp around my home and offer me Divine
protection from the enemy may your presence be felt strongly in this place strengthen me so that I would be able to withstand the storms of life and the challenges that I face daily strengthen me so that I will be able to withstand the attacks from the enemy give me the power I need to overcome give me peace so that I will not allow fear and anxiety to hold me back I put my trust in you as I seek your blessings of divine protection today I refuse to let anxiety or fear become my companion help me
to trust in you and not to worry help me to trust in your ability to keep me safe and secure I am blessed because I am under the care of Jehovah I am blessed because you watch over me each and every day I am blessed and protected because you go before me Lord Jesus and you watch over my coming in and going out I will rejoice always because of you I will put my faith in you regardless of what I'm facing I will give my thanks to you in all my circumstances because you have a
plan for my life that is Divine Purpose I trust that all my steps are ordered by you I have confidence in your word that tells me to approach the throne of grace boldly and I have confidence that if I ask anything according to your will then I know that you will hear me I simply want to take time out of my day and say thank you thank you for being good to me thank you for being being patient with me father I pray that I will always abide under your Shadow meaning that I am always
close to you and you're always near to me I will say to you Lord you are my safe place and you are my strong tower you are my God and I am trusting in you to be with me always and to be my Defender you Lord Jesus are faithful and I trust and believe that you will strengthen me and protect me from the evil one I thank you today for blessing me with peace thank you for blessing me with a calm spirit and a heart that is not troubled Lord I pray that you would help
me grant me the grace Lord Jesus to face my mountains to face my Goliath with no fear my Lord will deliver he will uplift me and protect me from all harm thank you for listening to my prayer be blessed blessed and glorified in Jesus's mighty name I pray amen many hardships and perplexing circumstances confront the righteous but the Lord rescues him from them all if the world hates you keep in mind that it hated me first if you belong to the world it would love you as its own as it is you do not belong
to this world but I have chosen you out of the world that is why the world hates you remember what I told you a servant is not greater than his master if they persecuted me they will persecute you also if they obeyed my teaching they will obey yours also they will treat you this way because of my name for they do not know the one who sent me but rejoice in as much as you participate in the sufferings of Christ so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed if you are insulted because
of the name of Christ you are blessed for the spirit of Glory in God rests on you if you suffer it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal or even a meddler however if you suffer as a Christian CHR do not be ashamed but praise God that you bear that name consider it pure joy my brothers and sisters whenever you face Trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete and
not lacking anything [Music] May the god of Hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in [Music] hope the angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him and delivers them taste and see that the Lord is good blessed is the man who trusts in him [Music]
