"The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing." ~Walt Disney
"Our greatest natural resource is the minds of our children." ~Walt Disney
First Principle: Christians should expect adversity.
I really believe that an essential key for overcoming adversity is to realize that it is the norm for the Christian life. This does not mean that believers should desire adversity or trouble. This does not mean that we should consider every little problem an attack from Satan. It just means we should realize that God’s blessed and loved people will undergo real adversity.
In Genesis 26 we learn that Isaac was a man of God, who did what God said by staying in the land despite a famine, and who was promised the blessings of God. In vs. 12-14 we see some of those blessings being manifest by the provision of crops and flocks despite the famine. Yet despite God’s promises of blessing, we also see Isaac beginning to face serious adversity and opposition in verses 15, 16. His wells, which were the tangible and symbolic sign of God’s blessing, were stopped up by the Philistines. He was forced to move from his land by Abimelech and even after he left he faced more adversity and opposition. This teaches us and shows us that receiving God’s blessings doesn’t mean having an easy life. The two should not be equated.
Second Principle: Christians should persevere during adversity.
Read Verses 17-22
Isaac faced continued opposition and adversity. Every step forward led to two steps backward. Keep in mind that in ancient times few things were more important than wells. It was an arid land where water was rare and yet was needed for people, and to keep the livestock alive and flourishing. Wells were difficult to dig through hard earth and rock, and often this was done without success. This was serious adversity and setbacks Isaac was facing.
Despite the difficulties, Isaac did not throw down his shovel and quit. No, he persevered. He could have sit around and cried and complained about the disappointments of the past, but that would only lead to failure. If you want to be spiritually successful and experience the life God intends for you, you will have to persevere during adversity.
3. Third Principle: Christians should believe God will bless them despite adversity.
In the second principle I said that Christians need to persevere to be successful over adversity. This does not mean I believe in human ability to overcome any obstacle and ultimately achieve success. I don’t think that believers should persevere because they believe in the power of perseverance rather because they believe in the power of God. The believer is able to endure and persevere because they know that God can bless them despite the adversity. This is what we see in the example of Isaac. No matter how many wells the Philistines stopped up or stole, God just blessed him again with another well, until they finally gave up as we see in verse 22.
It was not normal to find good wells so easily. It was only by the blessing of God that this could be done. In fact, Abimelech who was King of the Philistines, admitted as much in verse 28 where he said, "We see clearly that the Lord is with you. . ." Here’s the main point: We’re only going to be able to overcome and endure adversity if we believe God can bless us anyways. We need to be able to say, "God blessed me once and he can do it again."
4. Fourth Principle: Christians should recognize the good that can come from adversity.
We will face and respond to troubles and trials differently if only we recognize the good that God can bring out of them. Now you may be saying to yourself, "I can see that God can bless us despite adversity, but did anything really good come because of the adversity?" The answer is "yes." We shall see two good things there were direct result of Isaac’s adversity.
Our troubles can actually turn into blessings. In what way? First they can draw us close to God. That is what we see in the account of Isaac. I want you to notice that Isaac "went up to Beersheba (vs. 23)." Now you may be saying, "So what? Why is this important or good?" Well Isaac started in the land of Gerar which is located outside of the Promised Land and he would have been content to stay there but the adversity forced him to move toward Beersheba which is located in the Promised Land. The Promised Land represents the place of God’s special presence, so figuratively speaking Isaac moved closer to God because of the adversity. God had used these troubles not to destroy Isaac but to bring him into deeper relationship with himself. He will do the same with us!
It is no coincidence that it is when Isaac enters Beersheba that the Lord meets with him in a special way and that it is there that Isaac builds an altar to acknowledge and to worship the Lord. Through adversity Isaac has been brought into a closer and deeper relationship with God. Isaac had been in danger of drifting away from the Lord, but now God has used adversity to bring him back to the place he needed to be.
The second good thing that resulted from adversity was that others could see the wonderful way the Lord was working through Isaac’s adversity. In verses 26-28 we learn that the Philistine leaders had been watching Isaac and that they had to admit that he must have something special in his life if he could overcome and be blessed despite his problems. They had come to the point where they had to say, "God must be with you." The problems in our life are often an opportunity for others to see and glorify God!
Conclusion: Isaac was a man who experienced setbacks, opposition, failures, and difficult situations yet in God’s strength he was successful at overcoming adversity. The same can be true for you and for me also if we apply these 4 principles for responding to adversity successfully.
The above Contributed by Larry Sarver .
I really believe that an essential key for overcoming adversity is to realize that it is the norm for the Christian life. This does not mean that believers should desire adversity or trouble. This does not mean that we should consider every little problem an attack from Satan. It just means we should realize that God’s blessed and loved people will undergo real adversity.
In Genesis 26 we learn that Isaac was a man of God, who did what God said by staying in the land despite a famine, and who was promised the blessings of God. In vs. 12-14 we see some of those blessings being manifest by the provision of crops and flocks despite the famine. Yet despite God’s promises of blessing, we also see Isaac beginning to face serious adversity and opposition in verses 15, 16. His wells, which were the tangible and symbolic sign of God’s blessing, were stopped up by the Philistines. He was forced to move from his land by Abimelech and even after he left he faced more adversity and opposition. This teaches us and shows us that receiving God’s blessings doesn’t mean having an easy life. The two should not be equated.
Second Principle: Christians should persevere during adversity.
Read Verses 17-22
Isaac faced continued opposition and adversity. Every step forward led to two steps backward. Keep in mind that in ancient times few things were more important than wells. It was an arid land where water was rare and yet was needed for people, and to keep the livestock alive and flourishing. Wells were difficult to dig through hard earth and rock, and often this was done without success. This was serious adversity and setbacks Isaac was facing.
Despite the difficulties, Isaac did not throw down his shovel and quit. No, he persevered. He could have sit around and cried and complained about the disappointments of the past, but that would only lead to failure. If you want to be spiritually successful and experience the life God intends for you, you will have to persevere during adversity.
3. Third Principle: Christians should believe God will bless them despite adversity.
In the second principle I said that Christians need to persevere to be successful over adversity. This does not mean I believe in human ability to overcome any obstacle and ultimately achieve success. I don’t think that believers should persevere because they believe in the power of perseverance rather because they believe in the power of God. The believer is able to endure and persevere because they know that God can bless them despite the adversity. This is what we see in the example of Isaac. No matter how many wells the Philistines stopped up or stole, God just blessed him again with another well, until they finally gave up as we see in verse 22.
It was not normal to find good wells so easily. It was only by the blessing of God that this could be done. In fact, Abimelech who was King of the Philistines, admitted as much in verse 28 where he said, "We see clearly that the Lord is with you. . ." Here’s the main point: We’re only going to be able to overcome and endure adversity if we believe God can bless us anyways. We need to be able to say, "God blessed me once and he can do it again."
4. Fourth Principle: Christians should recognize the good that can come from adversity.
We will face and respond to troubles and trials differently if only we recognize the good that God can bring out of them. Now you may be saying to yourself, "I can see that God can bless us despite adversity, but did anything really good come because of the adversity?" The answer is "yes." We shall see two good things there were direct result of Isaac’s adversity.
Our troubles can actually turn into blessings. In what way? First they can draw us close to God. That is what we see in the account of Isaac. I want you to notice that Isaac "went up to Beersheba (vs. 23)." Now you may be saying, "So what? Why is this important or good?" Well Isaac started in the land of Gerar which is located outside of the Promised Land and he would have been content to stay there but the adversity forced him to move toward Beersheba which is located in the Promised Land. The Promised Land represents the place of God’s special presence, so figuratively speaking Isaac moved closer to God because of the adversity. God had used these troubles not to destroy Isaac but to bring him into deeper relationship with himself. He will do the same with us!
It is no coincidence that it is when Isaac enters Beersheba that the Lord meets with him in a special way and that it is there that Isaac builds an altar to acknowledge and to worship the Lord. Through adversity Isaac has been brought into a closer and deeper relationship with God. Isaac had been in danger of drifting away from the Lord, but now God has used adversity to bring him back to the place he needed to be.
The second good thing that resulted from adversity was that others could see the wonderful way the Lord was working through Isaac’s adversity. In verses 26-28 we learn that the Philistine leaders had been watching Isaac and that they had to admit that he must have something special in his life if he could overcome and be blessed despite his problems. They had come to the point where they had to say, "God must be with you." The problems in our life are often an opportunity for others to see and glorify God!
Conclusion: Isaac was a man who experienced setbacks, opposition, failures, and difficult situations yet in God’s strength he was successful at overcoming adversity. The same can be true for you and for me also if we apply these 4 principles for responding to adversity successfully.
The above Contributed by Larry Sarver .
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