"Is Your Back Against the Wall?"

  Are you going through some difficulties? Rejoice! Have you found your back against the wall? Rejoice! That's hard for us to do much less accept. Yet that is precisely what the Lord calls us to do. It just doesn't make sense to rejoice when things are difficult and might even look hopeless.

  When things are going well for us and it seems all the pieces fall in place, our dependency upon the Lord diminishes as we subtly take on a self-maintained attitude. The desire for the Lord, listening to Him through His word and our prayer life might somewhat dwindle. Our wanting to worship and express our thanks doesn't seem to be what it was. Some people view their relationship with the Lord based on how well things are going for them! What a shame. It's when our backs are against the wall that we get to view who is really running the show...GOD!

  When we are in deep need looking for direction and answers, somewhere we must put all our faith in the God who called us to Himself through Jesus. God knows what we need. We might even say that but do we believe it? Right then and there faith either reaches to God on God's terms or we just sit and fret hoping for the best while never making any gain during the difficulty. It is the difficulties that give us the opportunity to gain real strength! It's the difficulties that bring us back to our senses that we dare not try to maneuver through this life without His guiding hand and insight that He is using this difficulty to get us to trust and obey. When our backs are against the wall that's when true gain spiritually is available. You don't have to look far in Scripture to see this over and over. 

  If you're presently experiencing difficulties and it has you down ask yourself, "Why?" Where are you looking? Why are we called to "consider it all joy when you encounter various trials?" (Jam. 1:2) Because at our bleakest time our faith is being brought to strength if we take the right attitude. God is trying to work. When things are well it's easy to take the right attitude. When our backs are against the wall we are given opportunities to walk by faith and grow in our weaknesses. Jesus told His disciples that "every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit."  (John 15:2) How's the pruning going in your life? It depends on your attitude when your back is against the wall!!