Psalm 34:17 says, “The righteous cry and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.” Verse 19 says, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.”
Psalm 9:9 says, “The Lord also will be a refuge to the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.”
Nobody can run away from trouble and problems. There is no place that far that you can run to and trouble will not find you. As a matter of fact, all of life is one trouble or another. So, anyone who is telling you that you can have a problem-free existence is giving you a fraudulent dream. No one including the righteous is immune from trouble. Unfortunately, problem has no respect for anybody. Problems have no regard for anyone. A problem-free life is only available in the cemetery. Problems come any way, whether you invite them or not, and God in His own training school always leaves a challenge in your life for you to conquer. And in a bid to conquer that challenge, you become stronger.
Life itself is a process of solving problems all through. But to the believer who has surrendered his life to Jesus, every problem is a miracle in disguise. God will not deliver you from your problem but will deliver you in the problem. The deliverance of Shadrach Meshach and Abednego did not come outside the fiery furnace but inside the fire. They were delivered inside the fire.
Problems can make you better or bitter. Your problems can build you up or burst you up. But the mystery of the matter is that every problem has an expiry date. But people do not know this secret because God does not reveal everything to us at once. Sometimes, God's process of deliverance may appear as a challenge but many people do not understand so they get very worried. They think it is a problem whereas God knows better. Therefore, problems, one way or another are the springboards to success.
A little bit of the rain of trouble falls into every life. Many people start their battle from the womb. Some start at a young age while some start theirs in their old age. But a little bit of rain will fall, and you cannot be victorious if you are not in the battle. The big truth that I want you to know is this: Your condition is not as important as your conclusion. What matters is what happens in you because of what happened to you. When you have problems and draw the wrong conclusion about your situation, your condition will not change. When a child of God comes to the church, depressed and with his head down, God cannot speak to him. He would leave the same way he came be cause with that state of mind, he is saying that his problem is above God.
Many people conclude their problems with weeping. But weeping cannot save anyone. The conclusion of some people is sorrow, self-pity, or hysteria, They go into a rage and throw tantrums of anger. It is a wrong conclusion. The conclusion of some people is cursing. They issue all kinds of curses against people because they have a problem, it is a wrong conclusion. Some even go to the extent of abusing God. It is a wrong conclusion. Problems make some people to harbour suicidal thoughts.There are some who even attempt suicide. It is a wrong conclusion. When some people have problems, they go into sudden holiness and begin to pray that the Lord Jesus should come quickly. They want Jesus to come because they have problems not out of love. It is a wrong conclusion.
Some people become slaves to prophets when they have problems. They submit themselves to anybody for prayers. Witchcraft powers that never had access to their heads would lay their hands on their heads and command the problems to multiply. Such people compound their problems by handing them over to wolves. Every man and woman will fight his or her own battle. Men of God can assist you but if you have the "prophet syndrome," when the prophet dies, you will be in trouble.
When some people have problems, their conclusion is to become downcast, quarrelsome and withdrawn. They will murmur and complain. They will be discouraged. That is a wrong conclusion and the condition will not change. As long as you conclude negatively, the problems will never go away. The way you handle your problem determines how you end up.
Your condition is not as important as your conclusion. Your conclusion is the prophecy about your problem. But with the right conclusion, God will never allow bad news to be the last news. If you conclude correctly and act accordingly, bad news will not be the last news. Your enemies will not laugh last once your conclusion is correct. God Himself will turn your night to day. He will turn your mess into miracle and your problems to promotion. Only you can decide what your problem can do to you. Worry and anxiety are the wrong conclusions to problems. They give the enemy opportunity to deal with one terribly.
ATTITUDE
Attitude is one character that makes a big difference among people. It is a very powerful force that many people do not pay attention to and it destroys very quickly. It has to do primarily with the way people react to situations. Attitude goes a long way to show the quality of a person. If your attitude is positive, you will always come to the top. If it is negative, you will come down. There are some people who are always happy no matter their condition. It is attitude. Our happiness and success depends not so much on the problems we face, but how we respond to those problems. A positive attitude can turn situations around for a person. A negative attitude will not solve any problem. A positive attitude towards life and towards whatsoever you are facing will remove the dust from your mind and motivate you to accept the challenge ahead.
Beloved, your conclusion decides your condition. The right attitude will allow you to choose action instead of withdrawal. It will make you to choose growth instead of stagnation. It will make you to choose courage instead of fear. The right attitude will allow you to take encouragement instead of despair. Your attitude will help you to find the good in any situation you are so that you can remain optimistic. But if you handle it wrongly, the problem will continue. If you take an attitude of withdrawal, fighting your wife or your husband or if you keep saying “Since the day I married you, everything has been upside down,” things will become rougher. If you worry yourself until you are sick, it is a wrong attitude. Resorting to drugs, alcohol, cigarette, etc is wrong attitude. Many people are yet to realize that alcohol cannot drown any problem. It is a wrong attitude when you get confused, become insulting, cry all day long, drive recklessly or take an overdose of anything because of any situation. It is a wrong attitude when you begin to overeat because there is a problem. It is a wrong attitude to be bitter against anybody. It is a wrong attitude to fall apart, get angry, have hatred towards others, backslide or go about saying that nobody cares about you and your problems. It is a wrong attitude to keep saying, everybody seems to be against me and I don’t know why.” Some would say, “I wish this life was over so that we can go away." It is a wrong conclusion. Your conclusion decides your condition.
Nothing should push anyone to the level where he or she decides to marry any man or woman that comes along. When you refuse to sleep because of problems, it is a wrong attitude. The Bible says, “It is vain for you to keep awake because of trouble.” Making sarcastic statements is a bad attitude. Breaking and destroying properties is a wrong attitude. Throwing objects about in the house is a bad attitude. Moodiness, oversensitivity, discontinuity of prayers and Bible reading constitute a bad attitude. So, your attitude has an impact on your happiness. And it has an impact on the success of those around you.
You can completely alter the course of your life by your attitude. Paul and Silas had no reason to sing praises in the prison. They were beaten, dragged on the floor and thrown into jail. They were not doing their work. They suffered because they were doing the work of God but their attitude was different. There were bruises on their body but their attitude was different. One would have thought that they would stay in one corner, cry their eyes out and blame God, but they sang praises and God was happy with them and things began to happen.
It is often said that the same sun that melts the candle hardens the clay. Your attitude is within your control. Make a decision today that your conclusion must be positive because you are responsible for how you react and for what you allow to influence your life. A positive outlook allows you to stand up and take control of your life.
Attitude is more important than money. It is more important than your circumstances. It is more important than your failures. It is more important than what people say. It is more important than what people think. It is more important than your appearance. It is more important than education.
Happiness in life is determined by 10 per cent of what happens to you and 90 per cent of how you react. It is your positive attitude that makes you to persevere and persist. I read the story of a certain man who is an expert at writing children’s books. The first children book he wrote was rejected by twenty three publishers. But he never gave up; he kept writing them. All of a sudden he had a breakthrough; and the book sold six million copies. Your attitude is very important. Your condition will not change it. They key to living a fulfilled life is the right attitude. Our attitude works twenty-four hours a day for our good or for our bad. If you fail to harness the force of your attitude, it will be a tragedy. It is not your position that matters but your disposition to that condition. Excellence is not a skill. It is not a talent, it is an attitude. That is, your attitude to a situation is geared towards excellence in whatever you do. Therefore, what happens to you is less significant than what happens in you.
HOW TO YOU MAKE A PROPER CONCLUSION ABOUT
ANY CONDITION
1. Repent of any known sin: Sin is always a destroyer. If you pray while living in any known sin, your conscience will tell you that you are deceiving yourself. You took some bottles of beer and later began to sing “Holy Ghost, do it again,” you are deceiving yourself. Or you beat up your spouse and later begin to pray fire prayers, you are deceiving yourself.
2. Refuse to wallow in self-pity: Do not engage in self-pity. I read the story of a fellow who wanted to commit suicide. But before he jumped down from a tall building which he had climbed, a man rushed to him and said, Mr. Man, please I know you want to jump down and kill yourself but before you jump, can I have your shoes, belt and wristwatch.” He said, “Why are you asking for these things?” The man answered, “I want them because all my life, I have not been able to afford any of these things and I see that you can afford them and you want to die, so let me have them.” When he heard that, he realized that his case was not that bad. He did not commit suicide anymore.
3. Focus on God not on your condition: God is a specialist at turning up when everyone has given up. He is a specialist at coming in through the back door when you are expecting Him at the front door. Focus on God and not on the problem or condition. If you keep saying, “Everybody is asking me, that is why I am worried,” any time they ask say, “It is well.” If not, the same people who are asking you will kill you and attend your funeral. They will kill you by the questions they are asking you and you do not know how to answer.
4. Face one problem at a time: Prioritize your problem. Do not fight useless battles. It is wrong to face too many things at the same time. For example, you want to launch war against strange women, fight your household enemies, witches and wizards, pray against spirit husband, bind hypertension, pray against household witchcraft and poverty all at the same time. It is wrong. Pick them one at a time. Do not jumble prayers, take it one at a time.
5. Do not think or confess negatively: Never let anybody push you to the level where you will speak against yourself. Negative confessions and thoughts will put you into trouble.
6. Hold firmly to the promise of God.
7. Expect a divine solution.
8. Have the right attitude to your condition: That
is begin to see yourself bigger than that problem.
PRAYER POINTS
1. Ask the Lord to forgive you for your wrong and negative attitude.
2. Thou power of affliction, your time is up, die, in the name of Jesus.
3. Every arrow of affliction fired into my career, die, in the name of Jesus.
4. Every power saying no to my joy, what are you waiting for? Die, in the name of Jesus.
5. Every power calling my name in the court of satan, die, in the name of Jesus.
6. (Pray this on your hands) Every power contesting for the prosperity of my hands, die, in the name of Jesus.
7. (Pray this on your hands) Any deposit of poverty in my hands, die, in the name of Jesus.
8. Every strongman of affliction in my father’s house, die, in the name of Jesus.
9. Every power that has vowed to destroy me, die, in the name of Jesus.
10. Every attitude of failure, die, in the name of Jesus.
11. I will not die for my enemy to laugh at me, in Jesus’ name.
