A half dozen ways adversity will strike your life …

If you’re breathing right now, you can count on adversity striking your life in some way in the future.

Trouble is something no human being can avoid, a fact Jesus highlighted with a word of encouragement attached …

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world,” John 16:33.

And we read in Job 5:7, “People are born for trouble as readily as sparks fly up from a fire.”

There’s a key reason why we’ll experience adversity, which is this: Christians have an enemy who is as devoted to their destruction as God is to their salvation.

While Jesus states plainly that we’ll have trouble in this world, He gives us encouragement that He has overcome the world! Whatever we face, we have Him to see us through the difficulties of adversity. And you can count on facing adversity in some (or all!) of these six areas:

SPIRITUAL.
Specifically because you are a disciple of Jesus, you will experience spiritual adversity, something which the apostle Peter warned us about …

“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are,” 1 Peter 5:8-9.

The apostle Paul spoke of the adversity he and his companions experienced because of their faith …

“We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies. So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you,” 2 Corinthians 4:8-12.

We not only have assurance from Jesus that He has overcome the world, but as followers of Jesus, we have been equipped with a suit of “spiritual armor” to be able to face whatever spiritual adversity comes our way …

“A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere,” Ephesians 6:10-18.

PHYSICAL
We live a broken world where disease is rampant, and we do so with finite, aging physical bodies. Eventually you’ll face disease (if nothing less than the “common cold”) and, eventually, the effects of growing old. The best thing you can do to be proactive against possible physical adversities is to be a good steward of the body God has given you. That might include things like getting adequate exercise to maintain and keep your body strong, properly fueling your body with a lifestyle of healthy nutrition, getting adequate rest, and otherwise not abusing your body.

Sometimes physical adversity strikes with outcomes beyond your control. In some of those cases, you may be able to rehabilitate back to health, or you may be faced with learning how to adjust to new physical limitations.

MENTAL
Just as we can face the adversity of physical illness, millions face the adversity of mental illness. Fortunately in our time, there are proven clinical therapies that are highly effective in helping people overcome mental illness, or at least live well-adjusted and happy lives with a mental illness.

Many people will not suffer the adversity of an actual mental illness, but will struggle mightily with mental health issues, such as deeply habituated patterns of irrational thinking. Again, clinical therapy is highly effective for helping people overcome mental troubles. Key to facing mental health problems and mental illness is getting competent clinical help.

EMOTIONAL
The better we care for our mental health, the more capable we are of positively regulating our emotions. That’s because our thoughts create our emotions, and the combination of our thoughts and emotions create our behavior. If you need to change your emotions, change your thinking! A competent, skilled clinical therapist trained in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy can help you learn to better direct your thought life so that you can have a healthier emotional life.

RELATIONAL
Wherever you have two or more human beings, you will have conflict! Let’s face it, from the beginning of humanity in the Garden of Eden, we have proven ourselves to be relational failures.

You can overcome that!

The greatest determining factor of your capacity to succeed in relating to other human beings is the transforming work of God in your life. Sin sets our path to selfishness, but the salvation we can have through Jesus Christ leads to the transforming of our minds so that we have a new “default” of love for others. Being disciples of Jesus who are students of the Bible enables you to learn to care for, serve, honor, and value you others.

Key to any two or more human beings interacting with one another is communication skills, which can be learned. For example, the Couple Communication I workshop offered by Scott Free Clinic helps couples learn communication skills so they can build thriving collaborative marriages.

FINANCIAL
Nearly half of the world’s population — more than 3 billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day. More than 1.3 billion live in extreme poverty — less than $1.25 a day. One billion children worldwide are living in poverty. According to UNICEF, 22,000 children die each day due to poverty. 805 million people worldwide do not have enough food to eat.

Obviously, financial adversity is something that harshly impacts a large portion of the world’s population, and it may be something you will have to face in your lifetime.

There are no magical means of overcoming financial adversity, but there are steps you can take, which might include learning new skills for better employment, learning effective ways of budgeting and managing money, and paying off credit debt and learning to save for purchases.

CONCLUSION
Sometimes it isn’t that you face “an” adversity, but you may face multiple adversities at the same time. For example, a serious health issue may result in financial adversity, and both of those experiences may spur mental and emotional adversities. The enemy will throw at you as much as he can get away with in an attempt to make your life as difficult as possible.

“… Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows …”

Of all the things you do to face adversity, remember and rely on these words of Jesus: “… But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

Jesus voluntarily came into the world He created and faced many adversities so that He could overcome all that we cannot, and through Him we can take on the adversities that will come our way.

Scotty