In life challenges are expected not once, not twice; but as long as you are growing, progressing and making an impact, they will always come. However, the good news for God’s children is that victory is assured. Challenges are opportunities for our promotion; the stepping stones to a higher platform of influence. For consistent progress, you need to have a resilient spirit to prevail despite the daunting challenges. The bible says; “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” Romans 8:37. You can choose either to expect to win despite the challenges or to give up when you feel overwhelmed; the difference is the resilience in your spirit.

Jesus, exemplified a life of purpose, focused on the goal and spurred on by the resilient spirit even in hard times. “So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way” Luke 4:28-30. This was not the best way to begin ministry, especially the mission to save the world. It depicts rejection and anger at someone for doing the best thing, with an intention to kill him. However, this did not deter Jesus; He moved on to the next mission field and had amazing impact, demons being cast out, the sick healed and many believing in Him. It takes a resilient spirit to move from rejection to impact immediately. When you are confident in God and in your mission; assured that God is with you, nothing can move you. On the contrary, if you get your confidence in external signs and from people’s acceptance, you will always waver and suffer unnecessary setbacks. A resilient spirit is built from inner values and motivations based on God’s word, and not on people’s opinions and responses to you. As a matter of fact, opinions, praises and flatters, are not benchmarks for confidence and building a resilient spirit. Jesus knew this well; “But Jesus didn’t trust them, because he knew what people were really like. No one needed to tell him about human nature” John 2:24-25 NLT. Resilience is a product of resolve, boldness and focus. It is the determination to succeed in your calling or career against all odds. It is the ingredient that both the Apostles, Explorers, Inventors and great business men of old shared in common.

Failure should never be final. You should never resign to fate and get a defeatist mentality. Even when overwhelmed and about to give up, the resilient spirit will cause you to rise again and give another go to that venture. It is the ability to prayerfully chart new courses of action and dig up in your spiritual reservoirs to progress. Like I said in the beginning, challenges are bound to come; not necessarily evil or negative stuff happening, but the demands for progress and the barriers on the way. When you look at them as opportunities to build your spiritual muscles, the spring boards to higher heights and the avenues to put God’s word to work, you will always be catapulted to better seasons. How I wish there were other ways through which we grow, progress and even get promoted, but this is the most enduring way. Such seasons are unpleasant regardless of whether you expected them or not, however, when you know the outcome, you resolve to stand to victory. The bible says; “If you faint in the day of adversity, Your strength is small” Proverbs 24:10. Feed on God’s word, pray and build those spiritual ‘muscles’, you will not faint. Cultivate a mindset of being immovable by challenges, Paul possessed it in abundance; “And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God” Acts 20:22-24. Chains and tribulations awaiting Paul in Jerusalem was not a deterrent because nothing could move him. His mind was set on finishing the race with joy.

Possibly you began a business and it failed. You might have set out for ministry and now you feel like a flop. Your marriage might be marred with discord, hatred and regrets. Friend, a resilient spirit will enable you to stick in there and trust God that whatever He led you into has to work, because in the end all things work together for your good. Failure should not be final. Thomas Edison, the man who invented the electric bulb, failed many times, but he refused to quit. To him, he had found 900 ways through which an electric bulb doesn’t work, when he found the one way it works, it didn’t matter that he had failed before. Who cares about the many times you fail as long as you finally get it right! Who minds that your business failed many times, when it is now thriving? Even if they do, it doesn’t matter. Be focused on the goal and give it all you got. Do not get your sense of worth from opinions or approval of men, get it from God. Some people have a mistaken mentality; they think that whenever things are hard for you, when friends are unhelpful and it seems like matters are not working well for you, God has left you or is not in what you are doing! If this was so, then Jesus failed many times and God deserted Him many times!! We know very well that this is not true. Jesus even had the audacity to give his closest friends – the disciples an opportunity to leave Him, if they so wished, since everyone was deserting Him. “From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” John 6:66-68. His confidence was in the calling and God’s word to Him, not in those around Him. Friend, live from inside out, from godly convictions and instructions and watch your life flourishing. When you arm yourself with this mindset, you will never quit or give-up and even when you seem like you are finished, you will rise again in power. “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the LORD upholds him with His hand” Psalms 37:23-24.
 

~ Robert Ssesanga

Pastor Robert Ssesanga founded Aflame Gospel Ministries and is Senior Pastor of Aflame Gospel Assembly in Kampala, Uganda. An author and speaker, he travels internationally preaching the Gospel with signs, miracles and wonders, as God attests to His word with power. His emphasis on victorious living and enjoying the supernatural life has impacted many lives in many nations. His passion is to demonstrate the gospel and impact generations.

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