When facing difficult times and feelings of discouragement, drawing upon faith in God and His Word can provide strength, hope, and comfort.

Read and Meditate on Encouraging Verses

The Bible contains a plethora of passages offering comfort and strength during challenging times. Examples include Isaiah 41:10, Matthew 11:28, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, and Psalm 34:18.

God's Word offers relevant verses to those struggling and provides a blessing, reinforcing God's truths and hope. Romans 12:15, for instance, encourages us to "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn".

Memorize Scripture for Comfort at Hand

Having God's promises in mind, can offer immediate comfort.

Pray God's promises. Incorporating scripture into your prayers, can align requests with His will and strengthen your faith.

Cultivatate Faith and Hope

Embrace a mindset of hope. Choose to believe and trust God. Things will improve and there is a greater purpose in difficulties, as they grow our faith.

Focus on God's Attributes

Remember that God is powerful, loving, and still in control.

Engage in Prayer

Prayer is a powerful way to connect with God and draw strength. As we trust and lean on God, our faith activates him to work on our behalf. Faith can move mountains. Romans 12:3 states that God has given each person a measure of faith. This verse emphasizes that God has distributed faith to every believer, not in varying degrees, but as a fundamental aspect of their spiritual being. The focus is not on the quantity of faith, but on recognizing and utilizing the faith given to each individual.

Seek and provide community support. Connecting with other believers can offer encouragement and prayer. Helping others develop a relationship with God and supporting people, is crucial, and lifts you up, as well. Helping those in need, shifts our focus, and serves as a reminder of God's work and all the blessings he has given us. Things could be worse. I'm very thankful for everything God has done for me and given me. Without him, we are like a boat without a sail, drifting aimlessly.

Express Thanks and Praise

It is hard to be sad and glad at the same time. Find things to be grateful for. Give thanks to God for what you do have, as many are worse off than ourselves. We think we're bad off until we see someone who is blind, helpless, or crippled. It helps to cultivate a positive perspective.

Share your story and encourage others. Testimonies of faith and God's faithfulness, is a powerful source of renewed hope. It is more blessing to give, than receive.

God's Strength Helps Us Cope With Our Weaknesses

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” We often want to distance ourselves from our weaknesses. However, in our attempt to be self-sufficient, we prevent ourselves from witnessing God's power in our lives. God gives us the grace to withstand instead of removing the hardship.

Thank you God for all you are and all you do for us. Amen.

Call on God 24/7. He's never too busy for you.

This page is a permanent link to the reply below and its nested replies. See all post replies »

DanielsASJ · 36-40, M

Am anchor of a ship can never be tested for it's strength perfectly in still water. A storm or rough water is a perfect ground to test the strength and it's holding capacity. Storm is another opportunity to connect us with God like never before, I believe.

froggtongue · M

@DanielsASJ Ah, yes. The storm is the perfect weather to test one's god and see how strong it is. If the god is strong, it will solve the problem. If the god fails, then it's the believer's fault and for his god's failure because he didn't pray hard enough because without that prayer power how's his perfect god suppose to have the energy to defeat the thing which he created in the first place. I see what you're saying.

DanielsASJ · 36-40, M

@froggtongue You missed my point by wide margin.

The storm is the perfect weather to test one's god

No, Storm is a perfect weather to know how strong your Anchor is. Here, Anchor refers to faith.

froggtongue · M

@DanielsASJ Okay. So the god is testing the faith because he doesn't know how strong it is.

DanielsASJ · 36-40, M

@froggtongue It is for you and not for God. God knows your heart. Example - Peter said that he loved God very much but when the storm came, the storm let Peter know how much he loved God. He denied him 3 times. Peter was always free to go back to his wife and live a normal life. Who was stopping him? No one.

But that storm made Peter self realize did he follow what he said or what it just another ball of woolen words. It made him work on himself. Had Peter gone to his wife and family, there would be no storm in his life. He would be enjoying fishing, earning and probably more kids, more income and and easy life.

Here we see, Peter chose to stay. His life was in turmoil. The storm made his weak faith strong. And Today, history knows Peter. History loves Peter more than Alexander. He is alive in us. He is alive in Bible. Peter is the Rock.

DanielsASJ · 36-40, M

@froggtongue It is upto you whether you chose to be that Peter who could have gone back to his family or you want to be that Peter who learnt the lessons of life being in the perfect storm.

froggtongue · M

@DanielsASJ So we're still saying that this Christian god made the storm which is threatening lives. We're getting away from what LadyGrace posted and staying with a more specific narrative of Peter in the storm. Jesus, being that he is Peter's god, made the storm to get Peter's faith strong. So Jesus changed Peter's heart. Jesus took away his free will. But instead of just changing his heart directly, he danced around it and created a scenario so it seems that Jesus couldn't be blamed, even though we know in the book of Job that the Judeo-Christian god is the one who makes storms and all that.

DanielsASJ · 36-40, M

@froggtongue

Jesus, being that he is Peter's god, made the storm to get Peter's faith strong. So Jesus changed Peter's heart. Jesus took away his free will.

For reference, we are comparing his situation to storm.

It was Peter's introinspection

I discussed Earlier that Peter utilized his free will to chose to stay with Jesus Christ. Using his another option, he was always free to leave.

froggtongue · M

@DanielsASJ Was he? If the storm made Peter have faith in his god, and his god absolutely knew that would happen without a doubt, doesn't that mean Jesus manipulated Peter into his faith? You might say Peter had faith in his god again. But Jesus gave him no choice. Just like a mobster offering protection. Of course he's going to pay so the one 'protecting' him doesn't keep hurting him.

DanielsASJ · 36-40, M

@froggtongue

It is very clear now what your intention is.
But I will clarify.

If the storm made Peter have faith

No, Peter already had faith. That is why he said he loved The Lord.

Jesus manipulated Peter into his faith.
Jesus gave him no choice

I already told you in our above discussion that Peter always had free will to join back where he came from.

So you are extending discussion. That makes me doubt your real motive of discussion.
And further, it gets more evident with the following to come.

Just like a mobster offering protection. Of course he's going to pay so the one 'protecting' him doesn't keep hurting him.

Is your family/husband/wife/brother/sister/mother/father A mobster? If not, then why do you love them? Why do you trust them? Do you pay them protection money to them as a child?

Definitely, You need more trolling practice. Come on, you can do better.