In John 16:33, Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (NIV)

You see, life can be problematic.

Many times in the church, we try to act like bad things don’t happen to people of faith.

I think some of this teaching comes from an erroneous idea that when you give your life to God that there will not be any tribulation, but Jesus said we will have trouble. It’s just a fact of life.

Good thing He didn’t end it there, right? No, He said “But take heart!”

Take Heart
You see, Jesus acknowledges there will be problems, but he doesn’t focus on them. In the same way, we shouldn’t falsely assume we will never face hard times because disappointment and discouragement are the offspring of unrealistic expectations.

And while we shouldn’t act like we aren’t going to ever have any issues, we shouldn’t focus on them when they happen.

Instead, we should have confidence that Jesus has already overcome these things for us. It’s this confidence that will carry you through the trial and to your testimony.

It’s like I’ve always said…

If You’re Going Through Hell, Keep Going
Don’t stop to focus on your surroundings. Take heart.

If you’re facing a hardship right now, I want to encourage you by reminding you that you are God’s chosen.

He believes in you. He is on your side, and no problem is too big or too small for Him.

Repeat after me with confidence:

• I declare boldly in the name of Jesus that I am an overcomer.
• I declare that God’s favor and blessings are all over my life.
• I declare that I have extraordinary ideas and concepts.
• I declare that I am healthy, wealthy and wise.
• I declare that I will always know what to do and how to handle every situation.
• I declare that I am blessed and highly favored.
• I declare something extraordinary is going to happen to me today.
• In this messed up world, I declare I have the answers and solutions that people are looking for.

For every problem, God has a solution. You may even be part of God’s solution to someone else’s problem.

Take a look around. Who can you help today?