Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith brings about perseverance. And let perseverance have its perfect work, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4 LSB
How do you have a joyful attitude when you are facing trials and tribulations? I can tell you the only way you can consider trials and tribulations joyful is to focus on Jesus.
We are living in the end times. We will see things get worse before they get better. They will only get better when we are taken to heaven to spend eternity with the Lord. So, how do we enjoy the time left here on earth knowing we will face trials?
Well, the Bible tells us how to do this. We are told in Isaiah 8:12 not to fear what they fear. The lost will fear those things that can destroy their body. We are told in Matthew 10:28 not to fear those who can kill the body but only Him who can kill body and soul.
We are told in 1 Peter 3:14-17 we are blessed if we suffer for righteousness, not to fear what they fear, to always be ready to give a defense for the hope that is in us and that it’s better to suffer for doing God’s will than for doing evil.
Scripture tells us we are in the end times and people will be evil. This should not come as a shock to us. A prime example is 2 Timothy 3:1-6. This Scripture passage tells us people will exhibit a lot of evil behavior in the end times. They will do horrible things and it also tells us to avoid these people.
Psalm 37 warns us not to fret over evildoers and not to envy those who do wrong. We are to trust in the Lord and do what is good even if those around us are evil.
It also tells us God will punish them.
The devil wants us to focus and fret over those who do evil. Why should we fret over evildoers? That’s God’s job and I assure you He is not fretting. He wants them to turn to Him, but there will come a time when it will be too late, and they will suffer the consequences if they fail to do so.
Distraction techniques are good to use because they work. A good, properly applied distraction technique will allow you to take control of someone. This is why the devil uses distraction techniques so frequently with us. He knows where we are weak and vulnerable.
He knows what will distract us from doing what God has called us to do. He is crafty and cunning, and we learn this in Genesis 3. Just as he was able to tempt Adam and Eve with the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, he still uses these techniques on us today. If we fall for his lies, we will suffer.
The Bible tells us to rejoice when we face these trials. How do we do this? First, we give these things over to God. These problems are too big for us anyway, so why would we hang on to them? When we give them over to God, we must let them go. God will not play tug-of-war with us.
We must learn to keep our focus on God (Matthew 6:33) knowing God will take care of us. We must remember Romans 8:28 which tells us all things work for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose. Read Psalm 37 which tells us not to fret over evildoers. Read Psalm 91 which speaks of how God protects us if we choose to abide in His shelter.
Last, but not least focus on all that is good mentioned in Philippians 4:8. God is everything that is good, and we must stay focused on Him. Don’t let the devil distract you.
This doesn’t come naturally; it takes practice so start practicing today.
Have a great day!