Mental Toughness

"They spread a net for my feet--

I was bowed down in distress.

They dug a pit in my path--

but they have fallen into it themselves.

My heart, O God, is steadfast,

my heart is steadfast;

I will sing and make music."

Psalm 57:6-7

She's trying to live for God, walking with Him in all her ways, yet it seems there is resistance at every step.  "No good deed goes unpunished," she mutters to herself as she walks down the hallway at her workplace.  "Why does everyone mock me and my faith?  I'm the only Jesus many of them have ever seen, yet they treat me like dirt. That's the thanks I get for showing them love."  Then she remembers the words of her Lord and Savior.  "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.  If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. . ." (John 15:18-19a)  Her heart lifts as she remembers Who she follows.

The world is tough, cruel and harsh.  When it seems to work against me, I can take heart, remembering it is really working against Jesus in me.  It's easy to lash out, grow bitter, and cultivate a cynical heart in the face of such treatment.  Or, I could develop the mental toughness David possessed and choose to remember the nature of my God.

Hope.  The world is a cold place filled with heartache.  To live here means to suffer loss, pain and misery; there's no getting around it.  The world is not as God created it to be, broken and twisted by sin as it is.  In the face of such distress, it seems like there is no reason to carry on, no reason to have confidence in what is to come.  Won't it just be more of the same?

No.  For those in Christ Jesus, there is hope.  Because of what Jesus has done, I have something to look forward to.  Since I belong to Him by faith, I have the promise of His strength to get me through the hard times I face now and will inevitably come up against in the days to come (Isaiah 43:1-3).

As I live in this dark world I can choose hope in God my strength (Psalm 46:1).

Steadfast.  His heart is at peace, his countenance resolute, his determination to continue on steady and strong.  How can he walk forward with such unwavering faith in the face of losing his beloved wife?

He can because his eyes are fixed on Jesus, the originator and finisher of his faith (Hebrews 12:1-2).  I, too, can maintain a steadfast heart while chaos swirls around me.  Knowing God is still on the throne despite the state of the world, acknowledging that He has a plan even though it seems I'm at the mercy of a continuous stream of cruelty, trusting in His redemptive nature while my enemy is out for my destruction takes a committed belief in the One I follow.

As I live in this dark world, my heart can be steadfast no matter what comes.

Believe.  He has overcome the world (John 16:33).  God is with me, no matter what I face (Deuteronomy 31:6).  Time means nothing to God; He is already there in the unknown of my future and every act of my life is written in His book (Psalm 139:16).  He has a plan for my life that will use even the evil and darkness for my good (Jeremiah 29:11, Romans 8:28).

I can choose to doubt God's goodness in the face of opposition.  It's easy to wonder if He really is the Victor who is constantly present, has gone before me and written a good plan for my life.  Really?  This is a part of that plan, God?  I can quickly turn angry and bitter.  If I choose to believe, however, trusting God despite what my senses tell me, my faith will grow and peace will prevail in my heart.

As I live in this dark world, I can choose to believe God will do what He says He will do.

Walking the narrow path in the darkness of this fallen world is difficult, to say the least.  I face many challenges to my faith and I am often tempted to waver.  I have been given a spirit of God's power, however, that can propel me to choose hope, a steadiness of heart, and faith.  In these ways I'll develop a mental toughness that will help me keep moving forward on the path that leads to righteousness no matter what the enemy throws my way.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God's plan for my life, even when it seems everything is falling apart.

How do I doubt there is any good in my current situation?

When am I failing to trust God the most?