1 Peter 5:8

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Job 1 King James Version (KJV)

⁶ Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them.

⁷ And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

⁸ And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

⁹ Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?

¹⁰ Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.

¹¹ But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.

¹² And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord.

Overcoming adversity it is part of the Christian lifestyle.  We have all faced it.

Adversity is a time of

• Hardship
• Affliction
• Recession
• Depression  
• Otherwise unfortunate circumstances.

If you are like me, you probably thought adversity would never come your way after you sold out to Jesus. How many thought all your problems would go away when you became a follower of Jesus. I did. Yes I was that naive.

 Was I ever wrong! In the beginning of my Christian walk, it seemed the more I obeyed God the more adversity came my way. I quickly discovered that I didn't like adversity. I still don't. I like peace. Like a severe storm, you can almost sense adversity coming…the calm before the storm.

How many know, When the storm of adversity comes, it demands your total attention.

ADVERSITY DEFINITIONS

Adversity visits us all from time to time - and in many different ways.

It can come

• Disguised in marriage troubles
• Sickness
• Encourage Yourself
• Financial (Lack of Finances)
• Hardship from personal attacks
• Difficulty in the workplace.

Above are just a few ways that Adversity can effect you.

Adversity is no respecter of persons. All of us will face it. The question is how we will respond to it.

In Proverbs 24:10  the Word of God  reveals, "If thou faint in the day of adversity thy strength is small" (). In this context, fainting doesn't mean to literally lose consciousness; It doesn’t mean you are checking out Physically even though you may be checking out mentally. 

Adversity  means to withdraw, let go, or to show yourself slack. Pale or Weak

When adversity hits, most people have a tendency to look for a way of escape. The Lord is very specific in this verse. He makes it clear withdrawing from adversity is not the way to go. He also makes clear if we back off from times of trouble we lack spiritual strength.

When Adversity hits we can react in a couple of different ways.

• 1.FEELING LIKE WITHDRAWING
  My first reaction was to complain, "But you don't understand how terrible my situation is!" Since adversity is so personal, many feel their situation is worse than anybody else.
• My second thought was, "If I feel like withdrawing from adversity then I must be weak in faith." This made me search the Scriptures for solutions on how to gain some much needed spiritual strength and fortitude.

• 2.FACING ADVERSITY
  Throughout my life, I have found we haven't been properly trained to face adversity. Most just go to church to get blessed, not to prepared for trouble. Just because you love Jesus doesn't mean you are equipped to handle the battles of life. The good news is adversity can work for you. It can help you find the strength of the Holy Spirit.

Since I don’t know exactly what your adversity is or what you might face in the future, let me offer some practical steps for victory in every circumstance:

1. a.     Run to Jesus
2. b.     Cast all your cares on Him
3. c.     Encourage yourself
4. d.     Submit to God and resist the devil
5. e.     Let faith fight for you
6. f.      Pray in tongues

A  WHEN ADVERSITY ATTACKS  (Run To Jesus)

• When adversity attacks, the first thing you should do is run to Jesus. Don’t flake out, shut down, break rank, or isolate yourself from those who can help you. Run to Jesus. Remember Jesus is the Author and Finisher of your faith. He said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). Jesus will not let you down. You can trust Him to get you through this turbulence.
• After you run to Jesus, check your heart. Go down your personal checklist and examine yourself. If you have sinned, repent. If you violated the Word in any way, repent. Running to Jesus, coupled with repentance, should always be your first reaction to adversity.
• Sometimes Adversity bring the worst out of us before we get to the good that is within us.

B  WEAPON AGAINST ADVERSITY  (Cast All Your Cares On Jesus)

• Cast All Your Cares: The next weapon in our arsenal against adversity is casting all your cares on Jesus. This is not an escapist’s act. Casting all your cares on Jesus is a spiritual step toward freedom. Scripture says, “Cast all your care on Him for he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). Casting your cares on Jesus requires giving your adversity to Him. There are some things you just have to put in Jesus’ capable hands.

Take on the Yoke of Jesus.

Matthew 11:29

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

Matthew 11:30

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

• Pray. Sometimes,  one prayer session isn’t enough. Some adversity has several dates booked on your calendar. In my case, one prayer didn’t take all the problems away. There was a time when I was really hurting and constant flashbacks came to remind me of my Situation. Some of it was real and some was just fearful imaginations. The only thing that helped was continuing to cast my situation on the Lord.

C  FEAR AND TEMPTATION DURING ADVERSITY  (Encourage Yourself)

• Every time fear tried to grip me I prayed, “I cast all my cares on you Lord because I know you care for me.” I said it in my heart over and over again until the burden lifted. Sure, fear and the temptation to run from my problems returned several times, but I would cast the cares back on the Lord again and again until finally my adversity hoisted up the white flag of surrender and withdrew from the battlefield.
• Encourage Yourself: Encouragement is another powerful antidote against adversity. Have you ever heard a car engine knock because it was low on oil? Then after oil was added the engine hummed along smoothly? Our lives are the same. Many times we get so busy with the cares of this world and just getting by that we run low on oil. We stop putting the Word in our hearts and that only puts our lives in jeopardy.
• With the Word of God written solidly on the tablets of your heart, you can encourage yourself. The Bible tells us that David encouraged himself in the Lord. The Psalms are full of David’s prayers for deliverance from oppressors. Weaved throughout all these prayers you can feel David’s plea for God’s help. The Lord helped him every time. David was called to be a king, yet adversity and opposition to his divine calling often surrounded him.
• One of David’s greatest characteristics was that he never gave up. He refused to quit and run. In spite of adversity, David pressed into God. David did his part and let God do His part. You, too, can be like David. Don’t give up on yourself. Don’t disconnect from God and check out of the battle. Press into Jesus. God is on your side and He knows all the answers. Jesus does not fear what you fear.

D  OVERCOMING ADVERSITY  (Submit to God & Resist The Devil)

• While overcoming adversity, avoid isolation. In times of difficulty, we can’t afford to isolate ourselves. We can’t afford to run from the battle. When adversity strikes we need to run to the battle.

• 2 Timothy 1:7
• For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

• We must see God as David did. David saw God as a Man of War. He saw God as his Great Deliverer. Many times David asked the Lord during prayer, “Shall I go up to battle?” And God responded, “Go up!”

If God be for you who can be against you?

Tribulation may pay us a visit, but the Word assures us in (Isaiah 40:28-31).

Isaiah 40:28

Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

Isaiah 40:29

He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength

Isaiah 40:30

Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall

Isaiah 40:31

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Other words in my weakness He is made strong!!!!

Submit and Resist: 

• Submit yourself to God, resist the devil and he shall flee” (James 4:7). Notice here God has given us two Formulas for freedom from adversity, “Submit to God.” That means that He becomes your Commander. You release your will to Him and let His Word govern you, your actions, your situation, and your entire life. You also release the outcome of the adversity to Him.
• The second half of that Scripture assures, “Resist the devil and he will flee.” He didn’t say ignore the devil, hide from the devil, deny the devil’s existence or compromise with the devil. God said to resist him. You resist the devil just like Jesus did. When the devil attacked Jesus in the wilderness He said repeatedly, “Devil. It is written.” You can do the same.
• Speak to your situation like this: “Adversity, it is written, no weapon formed against me can prosper. I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me. Thank you, Jesus, that you renew my strength. I shall not grow weary. I shall not faint. I will overcome in Jesus’ name.” Find a scripture that deals with your situation, hold fast to it, and speak it over your life. This works. Go for it.

E  Let Faith Fight For You:

• Faith is one of the most powerful weapons against adversity you possess? Faith is the clothing of every warrior. Paul told  Timothy,

• 2 Timothy 2:3
• Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ
• He wasn’t teaching him how to cope with adversity. He was teaching him to fight on through until he saw the victory. Let hope arise in you right now. Jesus won’t let you down. Submit yourself to Him and use your faith in Him to battle against your adversity. scripture promises, “This is the victory that has overcome the world, even your faith” (1 John 5:4). The word “overcome” in this Verse means “to carry off the victory.” When you use the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, that is exactly what will happen. Faith in God will bring you through adversity every time.

F  Pray in Tongues: Praying in tongues is vital.

1 Corinthians 14:18

I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all:

1 Corinthians 14:19

Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue

Let your spirit talk with God. The Apostle Paul said,

1 Corinthians 14:14

For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful

1 Corinthians 14:39

Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues.

• If I pray in an unknown tongue my spirit prayeth
• Forbid not to speak in other tongues
• The Word declares that we can strengthen ourselves by praying in the Spirit and that the Holy Spirit helps us pray the way we should. He literally helps us get freedom. If you want a fast track way to strengthening yourself, start by reading and meditating on the Word of God, and praying in tongues. Praying in tongues is not a “Pentecostal thing,” it is a Spirit-life key to victorious Christian living.

One more thing to help you overcome adversity – get back to church. God’s Word is very specific:

Hebrews 10:25

Not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

• don’t forsake the assembling of yourself together with other believers

Isolation is a terrible decision

Romans 10:17

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God

• Listen, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Isolation is not healthy. Find a good Bible-believing church where the power of changed lives is visible. Plug in and help that church fulfill its vision.

ADVERSITY ATTACKS  US ALL
Adversity attacks everybody, but with your love for Jesus and these simple truths you can overcome it every time. Remember this, God causes all things to work together for good to those that love him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). That’s you! With Christ in your life, you can make it through every sorrow, oppression, trouble, and adversity.

             " Overcoming Adversity "

                        Message By: Robert Dickerson