14 Ways To Make It Through The Tough Times

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1.  When you are in conflict, emotional churning or a feeling of lack, avoid talking to people, unless you have something powerful or upbeat to say, or a brief prayer request. 

“Out of the mouth flows the contents of the heart” and “whatever the mouth speaks calls into reality what is spoken.”  SO….don’t let your mouth predict your future by idle or fear based talk.  Too many words that do not build up faith will destroy your focus and your courage.  Speak in scripture and phrases that reinforce your faith.

This does NOT mean not to let your neighbors and family know of specific needs you have, but just remember not to let your negative emotions steer your direction by your tongue.

2.  Emotions are the precursor to action and belief.  The enemy knows that if he can get you emotionally charged over an issue he can carefully word the “propaganda” that you’re hearing to lead you into sin.  

Advertisers know this also, so they create commercial ads that bring up strong emotion or fear so they can guide you like a horse with a bit in his mouth, to purchase their products or move subtly more towards a certain way of life.

3.  Do what you know to do.  If something is wrong in your life, correct it.  Confess your sins to someone; perhaps appoint a family member to be hearer.  If the father did this in the way a priest does, without punishment, but with forgiveness, it would be excellent.

If you need to get married, do it.  If you need to make restitution to someone or pay your taxes do it.  If you need to ask forgiveness of someone, or to make your repentance to God to be saved, do it.

This is a good time to work on your will, and putting the correct names on property deeds and auto titles.  Fill out paper work you’ve neglected to do, apply for birth certificates and get your affairs in order.  Work diligently as if this is your last chance, then you’ll be more confident in any future, knowing you’ve done what you needed to do.

4.  Throttle your passions, and stop your activities until you can gain control over your situation.  In times of stress or lack we tend to find comfort by making new purchases or satisfying our lusts.  We may be tempted to go buy lottery tickets, obsess over cosmetics (like getting our nails done if we wouldn’t normally be able to afford it), or engage in some risky behavior. 

We also tend to veg out in front of the TV set, or play video games instead of making a clear plan of action and working our plan. 

If you can turn these things (toys and cell phones) off for a few hours per day of quality time set aside to do something else, you will be better off.  (Don’t just ride hard on “the herd” by shutting down your family’s favorite activities without involving them in the decision-making.  Their being suddenly cut off from everything familiar and fun will make life harder on all of you.)

You are not officially out of the woods until you have your bills paid and are building a small amount of cash to have on hand for emergencies.  I have heard one expert say $1000 is the minimum amount you need for emergencies like your car breaking down, or someone needing eyeglasses, or a dental visit.

5.  Belief and faith – standing in times of trouble.  Know how to build your faith, and know scripture that you can repeat and rely on when you have a need.  (Faith confessions – find them here.)  Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.  Repeat scripture out loud so you can hear it.  Talk to others about the scripture and listen to Godly sermons and songs of worship that inspire your soul to patience and enable endurance.

Speaking of songs, have an uplifting song ready at all times and begin to sing at the first sign of trouble.  Worshipping God brings the Spirit of God into your presence and when He is around, your problems fade.  You feel filled and satisfied.  Your mind is cleared and your faith strengthened while He facilitates your rescue.

Your faith is your system; it’s what you believe in.  Your belief is demonstrated by your actions. 

We have to “walk out” our beliefs daily, surviving and doing what is right until the complete manifestation of our rescue comes.  Scripture says “and having done all, stand…” which means after you’ve sought God and followed instructions, done what you can about a situation,… remain emotionally immovable about the outcome. 

KNOWING, professing and being sure that God will be faithful and do what He promised.  God never lets us down, but be careful not to miss the answer He gives.  It may not be exactly what you’ve asked for, it may be better, or on an alternative path, and you need to recognize it when it comes.

6.  Having that song ready at all times to sing while you work.  It will keep your brain busy so it won’t worry and create more problems. 

All the people who were close to the earth who lived simply and powerfully had songs.  The Indians had specific songs for events in life.  The Jews had the Psalms.  The Blacks had the old Negro spirituals. 

Each region had songs about their heritage and the work they were doing there – for instance – the Suwannee River, the Erie Canal, the Mississippi etc.  They became ballads and almost anthems to the lives the people led. 

We have neglected them in favor of “canned” music by a generic idol somewhere, which are sung by everyone attempting to fit the needs of each individual.  Much like a generic card that attempts to fit every holiday, today’s music doesn’t have the power that a personal experience has.

7.  Know that Satan is constantly pacing the earth, like a roaring lion seeking whom he will devour.  He doesn’t stop or take vacations.  When you’re asleep, your enemy is still plotting your next downfall.  Know his paths of entry in your life and be prepared for new ones.

He will come in through your weaknesses, and by overextending yourself in any area.  Even conversation and communication is evil, it brings stress and overwhelm.  Know where to trim your interruptions and workload and emotional caring load, so that you can endure the times.

You really DON’T need to know what’s on the news.  Each human being is only given so much space for caring and worrying.  Hearing about all the problems of the ever-widening circle of people in our lives through news stories and friends of friends, is wearing down our immune systems.

Protect yourself by staying constant in prayer and joy, and turning off your contact to much beyond your immediate family.

8.  Know that “My God is sufficient” and “Greater is He that is in me, than He that is in the world”.

God is sufficient for any attack, need, fear or desire you may encounter.   If you’re living FOR Him and not for yourself,  “No weapon formed against you shall prosper.”

Most of our damage is acquired during flights of fear and scurrying around trying to DO something about the situation.  (Getting involved in more loans, making promises we can’t keep, needing to borrow or obtain what we don’t already have.  Trying to move on an issue before God has given the go ahead.)

Whenever you have to push hard and struggle, something is WRONG.  When you’re working in God’s will, the way will open, and it will seem easy.  Work was not meant to be “hard”. 

There’s a difference between good hard labor that makes you feel good about your day’s accomplishments, and feeling as if you’re pushing against heaven and hell trying to bring something about that isn’t yours to do.

9.  Taking pride in our ability to make do with what we have.   Just a few years ago, people had great pride in being able to support themselves with the work of their hands and the ingenuity of their minds.  When food was scarce, they didn’t run to get loans.  Chances are they didn’t even let other folks know they were in need, because it would be an embarrassment to them.

Today we seem to be leaning more towards relying on others and on loan companies or even stealing to make it to have what we want, to keep the status quo, and look like we’re really doing well.

Many of our young people plan on either becoming a sports star or a major drug dealer to “do well” these days.  We’ve totally lost touch with the difference between our needs and our desires, and television has painted an imaginary standard for our family life that is not realistic.

Figure out ways you and your family can take what you have and turn it into abundance.  Food wise, use up all your food before you buy more, especially older canned goods that are in date and safe to eat, and things you’ve had in the freezer that are still good.  Clean that freezer out, too!  Don’t keep anything so long that it will make you sick.  Freezer life ranges between 3 months and a year, so check on what’s in there.

Eliminate all unnecessary trips to town, and pocket that gas money for paying off bills or buying needed items.  Try to build up a little money extra for emergencies or if prices were to suddenly shoot up high, you’d have time to adjust.

It’s Christmas time again, and that means an opportunity to buy less, make more and involve the kids in making presents.  Make your holidays more about the reason for the season than the gifts under the tree.  Don’t say you’ll be buying less because times are tough.  Say, you’ll be making a more important and memorable Christmas because you’re getting wise and wealthy.  That wealth will be passed on down to the children, as it should be, but for things they really need, not for more plastic things of little value.

10.  Being ready to learn lessons from everything that happens to us.  Nothing is happening randomly, out of coincidence.  Everything has a reason.  We’ve brought on most of the problems we have in this country, either directly or indirectly, and God’s plan isn’t to destroy us for our mistakes, but to teach us from them.  He corrects those He loves.  So, are we going to learn, adapt and grow?  Or buckle and sink in the mud?

Whenever God closes a door, He opens a window.  To get us to the Promised Land, He’s nudging us this way and that, and closing some doors behind us so that we’ll get moving towards something better.  HE knows what that better is.  It may not feel like things are getting better to you, but if you ask for His guidance, and to understand what is happening in your life, He’ll show it to you.  It will be a better thing you end up with, if you’ve followed God, than what you’ll end up if you follow your own reasoning.

11.  Sharing and tithing, giving to all that we can.  This insures a flow back into our cupboards and purses.  It also helps us to hear about other people’s needs and to know we’re not alone, in fact, our problems aren’t that bad compared to others’.

Take 10% off the top for God’s work and ministry.  Give abundantly to the poor and anyone who asks to borrow from you, if you have it above your own family’s needs.  I don’t mean give your bill money to pay someone else’s bill or need.

12.  Spending more time with God alone.  We have lost the ability to hear God’s voice.  Our ears are full of TV and our portable music players, and our cell phones stuck in our ear.  When there are no additional sounds, we have the constant internal chatter that we run through over and over. 

Things our boss said, things we wanted to say, or we heard someone say, even things we read in magazines or newspapers.  With all of this constant chaos and clatter, how can we possibly hear His voice and His instructions? 

Shut off all the noise you can and practice sitting in silence, even if it’s only for 15 minutes a day.  Go shut yourself in your closet or go outside in the fresh air and wait for Him.  Wait as Adam waited in the garden for the Lord to come walking.

Meditate on a verse of scripture, or read a chapter in your Bible with your notebook open, making notes.  Worship and study are two of the three separate aspects of walking with God.  The third is being still in His presence and knowing Him as God.

13.  Spending more time with family in simple activities.  Let the children join in with the work, and involve them at an early age.  Small children WANT to help and if you miss that opportunity of getting them started then, you’re going to face an uphill battle for the rest of their growing years.

If they’re older and rebellious, ask for their help because you need it and appreciate their participation.  If they don’t give it, pray for them and begin to build boundaries and rewards.

Play catch; make audiotapes or videotapes together.  Read the Bible together (may be hard to start.) 

Tribal peoples made tattooing an event that commemorated some event in their lives like a hardship or an accomplishment.  In our society, it might be painting toenails or braiding hair etc.  The point is not to incur more expense by going out to get a tattoo but to find something you can do together that marks this time of trial you’re going through and celebrates your coming victory.

You could plant a small tree, grow a garden, start a penny collection, trace your family tree, or encourage your children’s budding talents towards a career.

14.  Be more wary of credit and schemes, scams and requests to cosign for others, as no matter how upright a request might be you don’t know what tomorrow will bring or if you can pay for what you’ve put yourself out on a limb for.

There are many more people trying to get your identity and to steal from you, and there are more people who will be asking for your help to secure loans for them.  In case you didn’t know it, the Bible says this is a bad practice and not to do it.

Every person will eventually have to learn to stand for himself, and to make it on his own, by the work of his hands and the strength of his own relationship with God. 

At the same time that we’re called to stand on our own, we rely on our ability to network and make connections among Godly people, because through them our help may come.  God uses people to distribute wealth, gifts and mercy to others.