Ecclesiastes 3:1 says “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” When we experience blessings and abundance, we naturally praise God because we are excited. When we experience sadness or pain, we are hurt but will still continue to praise God because we expect these times to occur in our lives. However when these times become a season of continuous and non-stop experiences of difficulty, our praise may become less consistent. These “seasons of difficulty” which can include everything from untrue rumors, to illness, to death of a loved one, can wear down our souls and make us wonder what we did to deserve all of these hardships. Nevertheless, it is important for us to remember that God has a reason for our seasons.

Whether we know the reason or not, faith in His love for us and His plan for our peace and prosperity must encourage us to praise Him as we go through them. Ultimately, these seasons should not reduce the intensity of our praise. 

Jeremiah 29:11 says “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and give you hope and a future” (NIV Women’s Devotional Bible). I don’t know about you, but I sometimes wish God would just tell me the plan so I can get through the difficult season with a little more confidence. The reality is that’s not faith. Faith says, “I trust you no matter what happens,” and “I trust what you have said and not just what I can see.”

More importantly, faith during a difficult season says “I trust that this season is necessary for a greater work and for your glory.”

I believe there are essentially three things we need to do to endure seasons of difficulty with integrity and faith.

1. Truthfully, Confess What We Believe: When we honestly confess what we believe, it places us out in the open so that we can come face-to-face with where we truly stand with believing God in our seasons. Many times people say that God will put you through a challenge to see what you will do. Well, I don’t believe that because God is all-knowing and He doesn’t have to wait until we do something to know what we will do (Psalms 139:2). I do believe, however, that He helps us to see what we will do. When we confess what we believe, we have to be real with ourselves—no sugarcoating allowed! If we find that we believe, GREAT, we can profess it and stay encouraged. If we find that we do not believe, GREAT, we can confess it, repent for not believing, and ask God to help our unbelief (See Mark 9:24).
   
   
2. Think on Good Things: Once our belief is positioned correctly, we need to begin to transform our thoughts by thinking on specific things. Philippians 4:8 lists six types of things we should consistently think about which include what is True, Honest, Just, Pure, Lovely, and of a Good Report. When we focus on what is good in our lives, we are more in alignment with gratitude, and we quickly realize that we have much more good in our lives regardless of the challenges. We also realize that we’ve endured challenges before, and more importantly we’ve overcome them with great lessons learned—emerging from them stronger, wiser, and more empowered.
   
   
3. Speak What is Promised. Victory is guaranteed by Christ, but living victoriously is a choice. God’s plans for us are written throughout the Bible, and the most succinct list of blessings is found in Deuteronomy 28:2-14. Everything we are, to everything we touch, is blessed. Not only are we blessed by God with God’s provisions, He promises that His blessings will chase after us and find us—we don’t even have to look for them! How awesome is that?!?! Speak them into your life and throughout your season of difficulty.

Challenge: Everyday this week, write down at least one blessing you received that particular day, and be specific. Don’t write down something because it’s the “right thing to write.” Write it from a heart of gratitude for having received it from God. Thank Him for it, and then tell somebody else!