“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart I have overcome the world” – John 16: 33
In this world we face lots of problems;
some are a result of our own mistakes, while others are from other sources. In
the Old Testament, we see a lady called Hannah in sorrow. She was not having a
child and she had to go through embarrassment and shame. But she got an answer
to her problem when she submitted it in the hands of God. Same way, when
problems come against us we need to take it to the Lord.
At the same time, we need to analyse
how this problem came. Problems come to us through different sources.
Result of a Sin
In the book of Genesis we see problems
because of the sin of Adam and Eve. God gave them the power to choose to obey
and serve Him. Satan influenced them and they sinned against God. This was the
beginning of pain, suffering, hardships, disasters and hard work. Curse came
upon the earth as a result of sin – Genesis 3
We are given the power to choose to
obey God or not to obey Him. When we sin, it is a matter of personal choice and
we are personally responsible for our sin (Romans 6: 23).
The way we respond to problems can
sometimes create additional problems. A bad attitude or complaining spirit
responses to our circumstances. David did adultery and then to cover up that he
did murder.
Jesus Christ is the only answer to this
problem. You have to come to Him and receive forgiveness through confession and
belief. You also need to maintain your relationship to Him as your Lord and
Saviour through obedience.
Confession is willing to admit that we
are sinners, being sorry for our sins and agreeing that we will stop sinning.
It is also an acknowledgement that we want Christ to be the Lord and Master of
our lives. While confession, you need to believe that Christ became the
covering for our sin (1 Corinthians 15: 17, 21-22). We must show our
love to Him by living a life of obedience to Him and His word.
Sometimes we may fall into problems
because of our own bad choices
Since we do not have perfect wisdom, we
are bound to make mistakes from time to time. Careless or unwise choices can
result in problems. We do learn from our mistakes to pay more attentions, to
exercise greater care in the choices we make. This is part of our maturing
process.
Another way to solve problem is to keep
Bible as your guide and look solutions for the problem. Solutions contrary to
scripture must be rejected. As Bible is God’s operation manual for us, we
should obey and listen to the work. A wonderful way to check is through Ten
Commandments (Exodus 20: 1-7) and the Sermon on the Mount (Mathew 5-7)
You need to check all the commandments,
study and meditate upon it to get answers to the problems.
As an example, Mr X’s
friend stole a test and gave a copy to Mr X so he would know the answers before
he took the test in his class. Now, the result of this action will be the sin
will be discovered and everyone will know what they have done, they might even
get expelled from the school. When you see the commandments, they have not
obeyed the 8th one – You shall not steal.
Second example is Mr
C has been attracted to a married woman he works with, and has been unfaithful
to his wife. The problem here is guilt feelings, unhappiness of his wife,
unsatisfied family life etc. When you check the commandments, he did not obey 7th and
10th one – You shall not commit adultery, and You shall not convent
your neighbour’s house, wife, man servant, ox, donkey, or anything that belongs
to your neighbour.
God gave commandments to us because He
knew that obeying them would help us to avoid many problems and have happy,
fulfilled lives.
Problems may come as a result of
outside influences. These problems we don’t have any control. They are natural
disasters. Root cause of these is also because of the result of the sin of Adam
and Eve
Another way to problem is the action of
other people. There are small and large problems which come our way as a result
of decisions or actions of others which are entirely outside of our control.
Sometimes we make choices which we know
are good, even though we know they cause problems. In Daniel 3, we
see 3 young men who refused to bow down and worship the golden image. In Acts
14: 19 we see Apostle Paul preaching even though he knew it will bring
persecution
Dealing with these problems, the only
way is Prayer and the guidance of Holy Spirit. Establish a habit of
communication often with God. He will either show you the solution so that you
understand what you must do, or He will work in circumstances so that the
problem is solved in other ways.
Always count on the Holy Spirit to
direct your daily path (John 16: 13). He will direct you
according to biblical principles. Answered prayers and obedience go hand in
hand.
Another way to solve problems is usage
of common sense and reason. For most of the ordinary situations of life, common
sense and our ability to reason are important problem solving tools. Examples
are: studying carefully for exams, resting after working hard, asking
forgiveness when we have offended someone, staying away from people who have a
bad influence on us, etc.
Always keep your conscience sensitive
by paying attention to inner warning voice. Thoughts are the root of spoken
words and outward acts. Your thoughts are in your direct control. You can
refuse to dwell on thoughts that will lead to trouble (Mathew 5: 21-30)
Finally we have to understand that
Problems can purify us and prove our faith in God. Try to face the trials with
joy. It will develop perseverance, which leads to spiritual maturity. (James
1: 2-4, 12-27)
Always keep in mind that God will not
allow us to be tested beyond our power to remain firm (1 Corinthians 10: 13).
He will give us strength to endure and will provide a way to escape. So if we
approach the problems with the right attitude, God will use them for our good,
to develop in us the characteristics of Christ.
The presence of evil in the world is
the root of our problems. So we can turn our problems into victories by
allowing God to work good for us through them, perfecting us into the image of
Christ and making us more useful servants of God.
