We all have those days, weeks, months or even years where nothing seems to ever work in our favor. Bad things continue to happen, you continue to feel lost in a world where it's so easy to feel so small and you continue to find everything wrong with your life rather than seek the simplest joy. There's no sugar coating it, life is hard. Life is really hard. It's so easy to crumble when hard times arrive and it's even easier to turn away from Christ during the hard times. It's so easy to worship, pray and talk to God when times are good, when you have so much to be thankful for or when life is calm and you're not in the midst of craziness. But it's the hard times that bring you closer to Christ than ever before. Who better to lean on or to confide in than the one person who loves you more than you love yourself or could ever imagine someone loving someone else.

When we go through adversity, the first thing we try to do is blame someone else. But it doesn't matter where or how your problem came about. God still has a plan. His plan is ALWAYS good. God still uses your faults, mistakes and troubles to yours and His advantage. Even when others hurt you, or the devil tries to break you down... He uses it for good. You have to know that the pain is temporary and know that there will be a long term benefit that comes out of whatever you're facing. know that God uses your problems and difficulties to teach you something. Every storm is a school. Romans 5:3-4 says, “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that … they help us learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady” God is much more interested in your character than your comfort.

"Let all that I am praise the Lord; May I never forget the good things he has done for me." Psalms 103:2

Excuses are endless but we may never forget that no matter how hard or bad our lives seem, you have it better than someone else out there. God still spoke breath into your lungs this morning and opened those eyelids. There are many people who didn't get that blessing this morning. What better way to overcome a slump than to send praiase His way and seek a joy so overbearing you cannot help but to feel a sense of victory. Know that God is putting you through this time to shape you into the person you were created to be and to show you that the only way to overcome hardship is to pour yourself into Him.

“This small and temporary trouble we suffer will bring us a tremendous and eternal glory, much greater than the trouble.” 2 Corinthians 4:17