When you come toChrist you are also enrolled in the University of Adversity, and you have theincredible opportunity to learn and grow through any situation, good or bad,high or low, mountain top or Valley… And trust me you will learn more in thevalleys than on the mountain tops.

 

Life is full of upsand downs, a roller coaster of experiences, emotions and relationships. Sogiven the variety of terrain you face, where is your education at Uni-Adversitygoing to be most effective?

 

We lean more in ourvalley experiences than in our mountaintop experiences. My may not enjoy themas much, but we definitely learn more from them.

 

 

James 5:10-11

 

Brothers and sisters,as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spokein the name of the Lord. As you know, we count as blessed those who havepersevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lordfinally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

 

By any standards, Jobgot a raw deal!  Faithful, righteous,caring and successful, God boasted of him and thereby lined him up for a fontalattack by Satan. Job had to go through some very dark, excruciating days, butJames reminds us that God never abandoned Him. It always helps to rememberGod’s unchanging compassion and mercy when we suffer.

 

In this message I’mgoing to address some of the common questions all of us have when we thinkabout suffering, hard times and adversity. But before we address these questions, let me remind you what you areabout to learn in adversity…

 

So what do we learn inour suffering?

 

 

1.                       ADVERSITY REVEALS OUR STRENGTHS AND OUR WEAKNESSES

 

In we can only see oursituation and circumstances, we often do not have a true understanding of ourpotential.  But God does! ConsiderGideon’s call to greatness…

 

Judges 6:11-16

 

When the angel of theLord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”

“Pardon me, my lord,”Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us?Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Didnot the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us andgiven us into the hand of Midian.”

The Lord turned to himand said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian's hand. AmI not sending you?”

“Pardon me, my lord,”Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh,and I am the least in my family.”

The Lord answered, “Iwill be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving nonealive.”

 

The Lord’s estimationof us often differs from our own. God saw Gideon as a “valiant warrior” becauseHe knew what He was going to accomplish through him. God saw the potential thatGideon never saw in himself for a moment!

 

Gideon saw himself asweak and little because his focus was on his circumstances rather than on the LordWhen we believe God and depend on Him to empower us, we become who He says weare—His beloved children through whom He overcomes the world…

 

1 John 5:4

for everyone born ofGod overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, evenour faith.

 

Remember, when we are weak,He is strong!

 

2.                       ADVERSITY IS OUR CHANCE TO SHINE

 

Funny how yousometimes misfit a key and it reveals a truth. I mishit the S, so this headingread “Adversity is our chance to whine.” This is a

I was recently reading

a book by Peter Wagner called “Humility”, and to my surprise I found an entire

chapter relating humility to overcoming adversity.

 

I'll admit that I'd

never equated humility with handling adversity, but upon studying this

relationship I've discovered that it is critical. Uni-Adversity is, like any

academic institution, all about education. It uses the school of hard knocks to

get us there, and as we go through the various assessments, we learn, we grow and

we become more like Jesus.

 

So before I go through

the steps you need to take to turn adversity to advantage, I want to mention 4

aspects of your lifestyle you need to carefully watch in order to stay humble

as you learn and graduate the University of Adversity.

 

1.     WATCH YOUR HEART

 

In adversity it is

tempting to become hard hearted. When people tell you to “Toughen up,

Princess,” they are referring to your resilience, not your heart. Hard hearted

people resist being taught, resist forgiving others and face dire consequences

in the future because of their hard heartedness…

 

Romans 2:5

But because of your

hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of

wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.

 

So as you face adversity,

keep your heart soft, towards the Lord and towards those who hurt you.

 

Matthew 6:14-15

For if you forgive

others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you

do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your

trespasses.

 

 

2.     WATCH WHAT YOU SAY

 

In adversity we must

guard our tongues, because when you're down you tend to lash out under pressure

and speak negatively over everything. Even the positive things in your life.

Just a twist of a word, a cynical, negative 

statement, a subtle tone of voice or the dreaded silent treatment will

provoke our adversaries, and drive away our supporters.

 

Ephesians 4:29

Let no corrupting talk

come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the

occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

 

3.     WATCH WHAT YOU REMEMBER

 

Memories have to power

to influence our actions now if you let them, especially negative memories.

Past failures in your own life drag you down, and when you see them in the

lives of others they have the power hurt them and make them attack you more.

 

Isaiah 43:18-19

“Forget the former

things;

do not dwell on the

past.

See, I am doing a new

thing!

Now it springs up; do

you not perceive it?

I am making a way in

the wilderness

and streams in the

wasteland.

 

Let the past be past

at last.

 

4.     WATCH WHAT YOU PRONOUNCE

Fiona takes our member through the Safer Churches teaching, including the Coast Church Code of Conduct.

This is required listening for all those who work or volunteer at Coast Church, and before you minister we need you to fill this out to the best of your knowledge.

We've learned over the

last few weeks that we can learn so much at Uni-Adversity, but it can be hard,

discouraging and even soul destroying facing the adversity.

 

Depression is a very

clear and present danger when it comes to Uni-Adversity. Why? Because when you

face adversity, you often find that it becomes too much to bear. It becomes

overwhelming, depressing, discouraging, crushing and that’s when the devil

attacks and plunges you into depression!

 

Depression causes you

to act in a way you normally wouldn’t, say things you normally wouldn’t, make

decisions and give in to temptation that you later regret. Depression makes

life miserable, for you and everyone around you, and if you let it depression

can control your life, your relationships, your future and fuel your

addictions.

 

No one is immune to

being depressed, and when you face adversity after Adversity, it’s tempting to

fall into depression and never get out!

 

Usually we try and

hide it. We look ok on the outside, we seem to have it all together, but inside

we are a mess, we are struggling to cope and we are faking life. Depression is

a lonely place to be, and many here fight this fight alone behind closed doors every

day.

 

There is also very

much a physical side to depression. When you are tired, sick, stressed or if

you have an underlying medical problem you are far more prone to the effects of

depression.  According to

beyondblue.com.au, there is often no single cause of severe depression, so

medical and psychological  advice can

form part of a treatment.

 

But many times

feelings of depression occur simply because you’ve struggled with your

Adversity for too long. You’re tired, you’re down, but ours sick of it, you’re

over it!

 

Some of you feel like

you’ve been smashed and kicked around a time or two, and this message is for

you.

 

You may not know this,

but the Bible actually holds some great keys when it comes to dealing with

Adversity, and the overwhelming depression that it often gives rise to.

 

And when it comes to

dealing with a University of Adversity magnitude depression, we can examine the

life of one of the greatest prophets of the Old Testament, and man who stood

for the Lord against incredible odds, triumphed over overwhelming adversity,

but sunk into unfathomable depths of depression.

 

Enter the prophet

Elijah.(1 Kings 17-19)…

 

MAXIMUM PROPHETS

 

Every investor wants

maximum prophets, and among all the prophets, this guy is the one of the maximum

prophets!  In 1Kings 17, Elijah predicts

a horrific  and debilitating famine that

sweeps across the nation.

 

Later on in 1 Kings

18:44, at his word, the drought is broken. Incredible, even the weather is

obedient to the word of this man of God!

 

Elijah is most famous

for challenging and defeating the 450 prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. At his

word fire reigned down from Heaven and consumed the sacrifice,

 

1 Kings 18:38-39

Adversity, as we have

seen comes to us all. If you are struggling or facing tough times today, you

are not unique and you are not on your own.

 

We have learned that

the question is not whether you will face trials, because we all will, but

rather how you will face them. Can you face them with joy, and can you trust your

Heavenly Father to do the right thing by you?

 

OUR

PAIN, HIS PURPOSES

 

If you want God’s best

for your life and if you truly desire to be used by Him, at some point you will

have to travel the road of adversity. All sunshine makes a desert, hard crusty

and unproductive. Rain and storms are what produces lasting fruit in your life

for Jesus.

 

This means that God

can and will use adversity in your life for a good purpose—and yet, sadly, many

people view adversity as only negative and defeating. You don’t have to be

among them!

 

In the presence of trouble, some people grow wings; others buy

crutches.—Harold W. Ruopp

 

 

Perception is how you

see things, not just what you see. So when you face Adversity, do you just see

the Adversity itself, the pain, the hurt, the hopelessness? Or do you see what

God sees?… That He is using tough times to train and equip you for greater and

more powerful service in times to come!

 

Romans 8:28

 

And we know that in

all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called

according to his purpose.

 

God has designed adversity,

regardless of its source and irrespective of the pain and discomfort it causes,

to become a turning point from which you will take your greatest leaps forward

in spiritual growth. His aim is spiritual growth and maturity, and He is not

afraid to break a few eggs to make a beautiful Omelet.

 

If you face trials

right now, I want to offer you wonderfully encouraging news… They are not

without restriction, but fully controlled by God.  He allows adversity into your life only as

long as it takes until He accomplishes His purpose in you. He will not keep it

in your life one second longer than is necessary.

 

ONLY

AS LONG AS IS NECESSARY

 

In 1 Samuel 30 David,

on the run from King Saul, faced a tough situation. Amalekite raiders had

attacked his camp, carrying off all the wives and families of the men,

including his. The men were not so merry and turned on David, so David turned

in his adversity to the Lord...

 

 1 Samuel 30:6

David was greatly

distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in

spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord

his God.

 

If you look at

Christians facing trials, you will see different types. Some people are almost

wiped out by trials, while others learn to stand in the confidence of God’s

faithfulness. Some blame God, or at least whine and complain about the situation,

while the others have an overwhelming sense of stability and immovable

strength.

 

Some run from th