Handling Turbulence and Tribulation

Becoming a Christian gives us a totally different view of how the world around us operates. We gain a greater understanding of evil, who evil comes from, and how it roams the earth causing chaos, confusion, and destruction. From God’s Word, we also comprehend that we are His chosen people, handpicked to make a difference in the world around us. Jesus Christ puts it this way in Matthew 5:13, “You are the salt of the earth.” He also warns us in this verse not to lose his brand of flavor, because the moment we do, we lose focus on the very reason we’re here in the first. Our mission is to carry out God’s plan for the entire world. If we focus on anything else, we will become ineffective and trampled on as worthless. We should never allow this to happen.

We know that God has a plan for our individual lives, and He will protect us as we maneuver through life but our faith in Him is the foundation that keeps us on the right path. It is very important to understand that our continuous stamina and momentum on this journey will require God’s direction. As we walk in partnership with Him and continue to learn more about His Word, we gain greater spiritual knowledge and His plan for us beautifully unfolds. For this to happen, we must keep our minds stimulated with His Word. We must read the bible to build our relationship with Heavenly Father, so that we are able to handle whatever the enemy throws our way.

Jesus Christ told us that we were going to face trials and tribulations in the world. In John 16:33(NLT), He said “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” While Jesus carried forth his ministry here on earth, people despised him to such a degree that they ultimately crucified Him. Jesus Christ is the light, and the one thing we know about darkness is that it hates to be exposed. So, when Christ walked upon this earth, most people loved the darkness more than they loved the light.

Some of us might want to believe that people despised Jesus because they didn’t like his personality, but in actuality they hated the truth he represented. Romans 8:17 says that we are joint heirs of Christ Jesus. We are his body, and his brothers and sisters. We have his light shining forth within us through the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. So it stands to reason that if people hated Jesus because of his pure and perfect light, they will hate us as well. They will try to come for us because we represent Jesus Christ.

This is why Jesus made it crystal clear in God’s Word that there would be turbulence in life, and we are going to have some opposition. But he also told us something else that is very important. Jesus told us in John 10:10 (NLT), “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” Jesus Christ gave us access to a rich and fulfilling life, but the devil is a thief, and his purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy. The greatest way that the devil does this is through people, he uses people to disrupt the lives of those that live by the light of Christ. Now we might hear this and get very angry at those who have come against us. We might even want to battle it out with the people that have spoken bad things about us or lied on us. This would not be the way of Christ. It would be unproductive and do more harm to us than good. Christ has made it possible for us to have a greater knowledge and intellect regarding the way to handle matters. We are to handle these things through our spiritual power and strength, because we cannot stand against a spiritual enemy without spiritual weapons.      

We must be clear about this, because in order to make a plan for dealing with tribulations and turbulence, the first thing we must comprehend is where the opposition is coming from. It isn’t coming from God, but from satan. 1Corinthians 14:33(KJV) makes it very plain, “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of all saints.” God is not the source of our discord; it is the devil. 1Peter 5:8(NLT) directs us to “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” The enemy tries to distract us, so that our minds are so saturated with fear and distractions that we freeze. If we fall for this tactic, we’ll look away from God’s plan of love and redemption. We’ll begin to lose flavor, and possibly become paralyzed by the magnitude of our problems.

The way to avoid this is to do as God says. Stay alert and trust the Lord completely. This is the best plan we can have. John 4:4(NLT) explains “But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.”  We are the chosen children of God. Our lives are in His hands. God has given us victory over those who will allow the devil to work through them. God’s Spirit that abides in us is greater than the evil one that works in the world. Psalm 46:1-2 (NLT) tells us, “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.” We must maintain confidence in the Lord, because we can always and forever lean on Him. He will not let us down; He will help us.■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. 

“Handling Turbulence and Tribulation”, written for Christian Encouragement and Inpiration. Copyright© 2020. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.