You Can Make It!

Winning in Troubled Times

by Kenneth W. Hagin

Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations marked Beck are taken from The Holy Bible in the Language of Today by William F. Beck. Copyright © 1976 by Mrs. William F. Beck. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked Berkeley are taken from The Holy Bible: The Berkeley Version in Modern English by Gerrit Verkuyl. Copyright © 1945, 1958 by Zondervan Publishing House. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked Goodspeed are taken from The New Testament: An American Translation by Edgar J. Goodspeed. Copyright ©1923 by The University of Chicago. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked Moffatt are taken from The Bible, A New Translation. Copyright  1922, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1935 by Harper Collins, San Francisco; copyright  1950, 1952, 1953, 1954 by James A. R. Moffatt; and copyright  1994 by Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the The Holy Bible: New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189 USA. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked Norlie are taken from Norlie’s Simplified New Testament by Olaf M. Norlie. Copyright  1961 by Zondervan Publishing House. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked Phillips are taken from The New Testament in Modern English by J.B. Phillips. Copyright  1958 by J.B. Phillips. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked TLB are taken from The Living Bible: Paraphrased by Kenneth Taylor. Copyright  1971 by Tyndale House Publishers. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked TCNT are taken from The Twentieth Century New Testament. Copyright  1900, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904 by Fleming H. Revell Company.

Scripture quotations marked Weymouth are taken from the New Testament in Modern Speech by Richard Francis Weymouth. Copyright  1978 by Kregel Publications. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked Williams are taken from The New Testament: A Private Translation in the Language of the People by Charles B. Williams. Copyright  1937 by Bruce Humphries, Inc. Copyright assigned 1949 to Moody Bible Institute, Chicago. Used by permission.

You Can Make It!: Winning in Troubled Times

ISBN-13: 978-1-60616-702-1

ISBN-10: 1-60616-702-2

Copyright © 2009 RHEMA Bible Church

AKA Kenneth Hagin Ministries, Inc.

All rights reserved.

Electronic Edition Published 2010.

Printed in the United States of America. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. Contents and/or cover may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form without the express written consent of the Publisher. The Faith Shield is a trademark of RHEMA Bible Church, AKA Kenneth Hagin Ministries, Inc., registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and may not be duplicated.

Chapter 1

Trouble Comes to Everyone

Have you ever experienced a crisis in your life where you didn’t know what to do? Your situation may have looked as if there was no way out. You couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. And no matter which way you looked, you were surrounded by darkness. The longer your dilemma remained unchanged, the more your hope of a good outcome eroded.

Or possibly you have been involved in circumstances where you kept hitting a brick wall. Everything you tried to do to remedy the situation failed. Eventually, you threw your hands up in frustration and cried, “I give up!”

You’ve probably heard the old adage, “There are only two things in life that are certain: death and taxes!” I believe a third certainty can be added to this short list, and that is trouble. Trouble is something that visits everyone—young and old, rich and poor. It does not matter what walk of life you come from or where you reside. If you live very long on this earth, one day adversity will knock on your door.

Your circumstances may appear dire and your situation may look impossible. But you can rejoice in the victory the Lord Jesus Christ won for you. Jesus overcame Satan at the Cross of Calvary. And because of His victory, you can overcome whatever adversity you are facing. Before Jesus went to the Cross, He spoke some encouraging words to His disciples. These words were not for His disciples alone; they were also for you and me.

JOHN 16:33

33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

The New International Version translates the second half of this verse as, “. . . In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Adversity, trouble, tribulation, and trials are common in our world today. You can’t watch the nightly news on television or read a newspaper without learning of a new crisis, either in the far corners of the world or closer to home in your own community.

Unfortunately, adversity can knock on your door in more ways than are covered on the nightly news. It can come through an unexpected phone call in the middle of the night. It can come in a conversation with your child’s school counselor. It can come in a test result from a medical procedure prescribed by your doctor. It can come through the words of your supervisor at work. But no matter how adversity comes, one thing is certain: it will come.

Regardless of how adversity knocks on your door, Jesus assured all of His followers that through Him, they would have peace. Let’s look at some other translations of John 16:33.

“I have told you all this so that you will have peace of heart and mind.” (TLB)

“I have told you these things, that you through union with me may have peace.” (Williams)

“I have told you this so that you may have peace in Me.” (Norlie)

Other translations give us a clearer picture of what adversity or tribulation is.

“In the world you are under pressure.” (Berkeley)

“In the world you have affliction.” (Weymouth)

“In the world you will find trouble.” (TCNT)

Regardless of how you experience adversity—whether it is through pressure, affliction, or suffering—Jesus clearly wants you to understand that your victory is in Him. Here are His words in the second part of verse 33 in some other translations:

“But keep up your courage.” (Weymouth)

“but be confident!” (Berkeley)

“but, never lose heart” (Phillips)

“but cheer up.” (TLB)

No matter what your situation looks like, standing firmly on the Word of God is where your victory is found. It may look as though failure is inevitable, but lift up your head and be courageous. Placing your confidence firmly in God, regardless of what surrounds you, will enable you to never lose heart.

Never Losing Heart

Winning or losing in sports is often a heart issue. You have probably heard stories of how an athlete battled on to victory in the face of seeming defeat. Why did he win? He “never lost heart.” In other words, he never gave up and quit.

Several years ago, I was watching a track meet on television. The athletes were running a hurdle race. During the race, one young man tripped and fell when jumping a hurdle. During the few seconds it took for him to fall to the ground, his competitors continued running down the track, gaining a sizable lead. It would have been easy for the bruised athlete to accept his loss.

But instead of crawling off the track in defeat, this young man jumped to his feet and kept running. He crossed the finish line 10 seconds after the rest of the runners. But at least he did not quit! He had enough drive in him to keep going regardless of his finishing position.

You and I need to have this same attitude when adversity strikes. This is the same attitude the prophet Micah had when he declared, “Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me” (Micah 7:8).

So no matter what comes against you and how many times you have fallen, the important thing is to get back up. Like the young athlete, you may finish a few seconds behind the other runners. But at least you have completed the race and have crossed the finish line.

Avoiding Spiritual Vertigo

Sadly, people often quit because they look at their situation the wrong way. During a test or a trial, it’s important to know what you truly believe. While you may think you believe something, the true litmus test for your beliefs is found in what you say. You see, what you say is what you really believe in your heart. And before you can pick yourself up when you have fallen, you must first establish what you really believe.

This is important because you will often experience “spiritual vertigo” in the midst of a storm. In the natural, vertigo is when you become dizzy, confused, and disoriented. You lose your sense of balance and direction, and your surroundings can seem to be whirling around you.

Several years ago, I began pilot training classes. Eventually, however, I realized that I didn’t have the extra time required to become a good pilot. So I dropped the classes and left the flying to experienced, well-trained pilots. However, I was in pilot training long enough to have several hours “under the hood.”

“Under the hood” is an aviation term. It describes times you fly an airplane by relying solely on the instrument panel rather than on what you see outside the cockpit. Under-the-hood flying simulates flying in clouds, bad weather conditions, and at night.

During my instrument training, I was given a plastic visor hood to wear. This device limited my view. When I had the visor on, I couldn’t see outside of the airplane. I could only see the plane’s instrument panel. Every time I wore one of those visors while I was flying, I would get a strange feeling. It felt as though I had vertigo. I couldn’t tell if I was upside down, sideways, or right-side up.

One of the gauges on an aircraft instrument panel is sometimes called an artificial horizon. It’s a simple gauge that shows a small airplane and the horizon. By watching this gauge, you know if the wings and nose of the plane are parallel to the earth’s horizon.

In adverse weather conditions, you have to believe in and trust this gauge. If you don’t, you will crash the plane. When you are flying in a cloud, you don’t have any point of reference as to where the horizon is. Although your plane may be level with the horizon, it can feel as though your wings are tipped and that you need to straighten the plane.

In times of trouble, tribulation, and adversity, you may feel as though you have “spiritual vertigo.” You may have lost your sense of direction. In the same way a pilot flies into a cloud and can’t see, your view is clouded by adversity and you don’t know which way to turn. As a child of God you’re standing in faith, believing that your situation will turn around. When nothing changes, you try one thing. When that doesn’t change anything, you try something else. And when that approach brings no change, you turn in yet another direction. Because you keep changing direction when your vision is clouded, you eventually crash.

The devil loves it when you’re caught in spiritual vertigo. If he can get you to stop looking at your gauges, then he can dominate your life. Spiritually speaking, your gauges are the Word of God. And it’s the Word that will hold you steady when your visibility is clouded by trials and tribulation. When you begin looking at your circumstances instead of the Word, it’s easy for the devil to get you to turn in the wrong direction, eventually causing you to crash and burn.

Anytime you experience spiritual vertigo, you need to recognize who the author of the mess is. Who is behind your problems? It’s not God. He is never the author of trouble, tribulation, or confusion.

The devil is the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4). He is not the God we serve, but he is the god of the world system we live in. Satan’s plans are clearly laid out in John 10:10: “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. . . .”

The devil has only one goal to accomplish before the return of our Lord, and that is to deceive and destroy as many people as possible. On the other hand, Jesus said in that same verse that He came to the earth and its people so “. . . that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

From this verse and others, such as First Peter 5:8 and John 8:44, you can plainly see that the author of trials, troubles, and tribulations is Satan, the god of this world. And as long as Satan remains on the earth, you will experience tribulation.

Jesus did not leave you without a defense. He let you know in John 16:33 that He overcame your enemy. And because of what He did, you can be at peace in the midst of any storm. In the middle of the biggest trials and tests you may go through, you can still have peace. You can have peace because of Jesus.

So often when someone experiences adversity, the first thing the individual wonders is why God let it happen. God forewarned all believers in John 16:33 that tribulation would come. It’s a part of life on this earth.

Some people think that when they begin to walk by faith, they won’t have any more trials, trouble, or tribulation. They think that they will “float through life on flowery beds of ease,” as my father, the late Kenneth E. Hagin, used to say. They don’t realize that when they were born again, they became targets of the enemy.

If you’re not sure who the author of trials and tribulation is, you won’t know who to resist. If you think that God is causing you hardship to teach you something, you won’t stand in faith and use His Word to resist the attack.

God is never the author of adversity. Quite the opposite is true. He is standing ready to stretch out His delivering arm on behalf of those who trust in Him. He is there all the time. The size of the test or trial doesn’t matter. God is with you.

ISAIAH 43:2

2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

Some other translations give us a fuller understanding of this verse.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. (NIV)

“I will be with you when you pass through waters, no rivers shall overflow you.” (Moffatt)

“When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown!” (TLB)

You can see from these translations that you will not drown in your troubles. You may be in a deep river of adversity, but tribulation can’t pull you under.

Take a look at some different ways the second half of this verse is translated.

When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. (NIV)

“When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up–the flames will not consume you.” (TLB)

Reading this verse from different translations can help you be courageous and not lose heart in the midst of adversity. When you feel as though you are drowning in the waters of trouble and burning in the fire of adversity, know that God is with you. He will protect you, and He will bring you out.

Winning the Battle in the Mind

When you first encounter tribulation, you may wonder where God is. He is right there with you. He never left your side. Knowing that God is with you and that He will protect you and deliver you will give you peace of mind.

When you are confident that God is with you and that you will survive whatever you are experiencing, your mindset, or thought process, shifts to a mode of victory. When you are bombarded with thoughts of What am I going to do? you can look to the future with assurance, because you know you are going to make it. Even though your deliverance may not appear overnight, you know without a doubt that you will come out on the other side.

Having confidence in God’s ability to deliver you is what quiets your mind. And that is where half of your battles are. When your mind is quiet, you will have peace. A peaceful mind enables you to hear the still, quiet voice of the Holy Spirit during a storm. When your mind is hijacked by your emotions, you can’t hear what the Holy Spirit is saying to you.

If you have not allowed the Word of God to become an anchor for your soul (see Heb. 6:19), you can panic and your mind can shut down. Panic is well known for shutting down mental processes. Sometimes even the best-trained person can forget all of his or her good training in a time of crisis.

When I was going to college, I worked the graveyard shift in a plastics manufacturing company. From 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. every day, I made plastic bowls. Each bowl started out as a flat lump of plastic. We called them “pills.”

Every night I took 12 pills at a time, put them in an oven similar to a microwave, and heated them. Then, wearing gloves, I’d drop those pills into 12 hollows in the bottom of a mold that was heated to about 1,400 degrees Fahrenheit. Then I’d punch a button, and the top of the mold would come down. The top and bottom would meet with great pressure and transform the plastic pellets into bowls. The mold came together with such force that it could splinter a 2-by-4 board.

We were required to meet a quota each night. So once we clocked in, we worked fast. If a worker didn’t meet his quota, he was in jeopardy of losing his job. One night a fellow next to me was half asleep as he worked. He put the pills in the oven and then into the mold. But because he was so tired, he was moving slowly, and the top of the mold started to come down while his arms were still under it.

Instead of pulling his arms out of the mold, my coworker panicked and froze. All he could do was yell “Oh! Oh! Oh!” When I saw what was happening, I dove over the counter that separated the two of us and hit the shut-off button. I knocked bowls everywhere trying to help him, but at least he didn’t get hurt.

Afterward I asked him, “Why didn’t you pull your hands out? You had time.” He told me he panicked when the mold started to come down. His mind went blank, and he couldn’t think of what he should do. So he stood there frozen. All he could do was yell!

That same thing can happen to you when you encounter trials and tribulations. It is easy to become so upset that you don’t think properly. And because you are not thinking straight, you can make the wrong decision.

Talking Back to the Devil

When adversity knocks on your door, you should never ask why. First Corinthians 10:13 says, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

The New Living Translation renders the first part of verse 13 as, “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. . . .” One of the tricks of the enemy is to tell you that you are the only one who has ever experienced what you are going through. My friend, your situation is not unique. Others have experienced the same temptations and trials that you are facing.

Whenever the devil talks to you, you need to talk back to him. One of the worst things you can do in the middle of a trial is to close your mouth. Quote scripture back to him. It’s okay to be a motormouth when you’re reminding the devil what the Word of God says.

Let your adversary know that what you are experiencing is common to man and that God has already provided a way of escape for you. Remind the devil what is going to happen to him if he continues to stick around. In the middle of adversity, Satan wants you to throw your hands up in defeat. Instead, throw your hands up in praise and worship, because God is working your situation out.

First Corinthians 10:13 goes on to say that “God is faithful.” Look at these words in some other translations:

“God can be depended on.” (Goodspeed)

“And you can trust God.” (Beck)

“God will not fail you.” (TCNT)

Never doubt God’s faithfulness to you during adversity. Remember that God did not bring you the trials you are experiencing to “teach” you something. No. Whatever tribulation you are facing is an attack of the devil that you must stand against. But never forget that Jesus has already won the victory for you. You can put your entire trust in the Son of God and depend on Him to deliver you out of any situation. He will never fail you.

Chapter 2

The Great Leveler

Adversity is not a respecter of persons. In fact, it levels the playing field. It does not matter what walk of life you come from. Whether you are rich or poor, young or old, good or bad, adversity will one day find its way to your doorstep. This is seen in the story Jesus told of the houses built on the rock and on the sand.

MATTHEW 7:24–27

24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

A common misconception among many is to think that adversity comes only to those who are negligent, lazy, or ignorant. These verses clearly show us that the rain, the wind, and the flood came against the man who built his house on the sand and the man who built his house on the rock. It was only the man who built his home, or his life, on being a doer of the Word who was able to withstand the storm.

Trouble and disappointments come to everyone. How you react to adversity determines whether your house will stand or fall when the storms of life strike.

If you are not grounded in the Word of God, it will be easy for your emotions to guide your reactions during a storm. And being emotionally ruled will put you on a roller coaster that will take you from shock all the way to depression. If the Word is not your anchor, you will be tossed every way the wind blows. (See James 1:6.) One day you’ll be up and the next day down.

The Winds of Adversity

The first gust of wind can bring shock. Everything in your life seemed to be flowing smoothly. Then you hit an unexpected bump in the road. You never dreamed that anything like “this” could happen to you or your family.

After the initial shock has subsided, a second wind blows and the blame game can begin. This is where you start looking for someone to blame. You think there has to be a “reason” why adversity knocked on your door, so you start blaming others. You blame society. You blame the government. You blame your boss, your neighbor, and so forth. The list can be endless. You may blame yourself. And sometimes you even blame God.

Another gust of wind hits you and you may begin to withdraw. In this phase of the emotional roller coaster, you have a pity party. You believe that no one understands what you are going through, and you’re embarrassed by what has happened.

Instead of seeking comfort or counsel from your family or fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord, you shut yourself off from the very people who can help you the most. It’s natural to want to pull away from others when you are embarrassed. But in such a time, you need to seek counsel from your pastor and mature believers in the Lord. They will embrace you and give you words of life in your hour of trouble.

Just about the time you think you can’t take any more, another gust of wind comes along, and you explode in anger. This is when you really need to ask the Lord to help you put a guard over your mouth. (See Ps. 141:3.) You will be tempted to say and do things in anger. But if you give in to anger, you will later regret your words and actions.

Getting angry can give rise to another gust of wind that can push you in a different direction: shame. When the dust and ashes settle after you erupt like a volcano, you’ll feel ashamed of the things you’ve said and done.

Ultimately, anger can give way to depression. And this is where the devil wants you. When you are depressed, he can incapacitate you. Statistics show that many people’s lives are crippled by depression. It has been estimated that approximately 19 million Americans suffer from clinical depression.[1]

Common ‘Solutions’ to Adversity That Don’t Work

We have just looked at common ways in which adversity affects the lives of many. When trials knock on your door, what are you going to do? The choice is yours. Are you going to give in to despair at the first sign of trouble? People often come up with a wide variety of solutions to their problems. Some grit their teeth and deny the facts. They pretend that everything is all right when it is not. Others try to escape through drugs or alcohol, but this is never a solution.

When a married couple has problems, it’s not unusual for one spouse to spend long hours at the office working. What the individual is really doing, however, is avoiding the conflict by staying away from home.

Another so-called solution to adversity is shopping. Some think that spending money will make them feel better. This may work for a short time. But when the bills arrive, that “good feeling” quickly leaves.

Other people turn to food when tested. Finding comfort in food has never solved any problems. In fact, too much food only creates new issues. High blood pressure and type 2 diabetes are just two of the health-related problems of obesity. Of all these so-called “solutions” to adversity, none of them helps in times of trouble.

Dodging the Ball

When it comes to trials and tribulation, some people spend their entire lives playing “dodgeball.” When I was very young, I played dodgeball in physical education class. We used a small ball—sometimes a volleyball—to throw at members of the opposite team. If you hit somebody with the ball, then that person was out of the game. However, if the person you were trying to hit caught the ball, then you were out of the game.

Some of my classmates were really good at dodging the ball. And that’s the way some people are as adults. They spend all of their energy, efforts, and resources trying to dodge trouble.

Then there are other people who seem to experience the same kind of trouble over and over again. I call these people slow learners. They keep going around the same mountain dealing with the same problem again and again.

It doesn’t take me a long time to learn something. One time I burned my hand on an iron. I quickly learned not to do that again. Another time I accidently stuck my finger in an electric light bulb socket. I learned that lesson really fast. I promise you, I never did that again.

Spiritual and Natural Arenas

Some people keep going through the same set of circumstances because they don’t deal with trouble properly. You see, when trials, tests, and circumstances come against you, there are two arenas in which to deal with them: the spiritual and the natural.

Some people continually have problems because they deal with hardships only in the natural arena. Then on the flip side, other people have problems because they deal with adversity only in the spiritual arena.

To handle the problems of life successfully, you must deal with both their natural and spiritual aspects. The solutions are not all natural, but they’re also not all supernatural. There are natural as well as spiritual things you can do to combat problems.

Let’s look at the natural side of a matter first.

Number One: Get rid of all your excuses.

It’s easy to put the blame on somebody else. You have probably heard someone say, “It’s not my fault; it’s So-and-So’s fault.” However, if you made the decision to do or not do something, then the blame rests squarely on your own shoulders.

Some people never accept responsibility for their shortcomings. They find fault in everyone else. These are only a few of the excuses you hear. “It’s the economy. There are no opportunities available for me.” “I can’t get ahead. I don’t have a college degree.” “My family is not wealthy. I never had the money to do what I wanted to do.” “I’m this way because of how my parents raised me.” The list of excuses can be endless.

Continually making excuses like this is really taking on a “victim” mentality. When you do this, you are saying, “The world owes me something.” Friend, nobody owes you anything.

Where I come from in Texas, people say, “Grab hold of your boots and put them on yourself.” This simply means you need to stop making excuses for yourself.

Now, if you own a pair of good western boots that fit really well, you know it takes a little effort to get them on. But oh, are those boots comfortable! If you wear a pair of western boots and your feet slip around in the boots while you walk, you can be sure that you will have blisters on your feet before the day is over. That’s because the boots didn’t fit snugly.

In olden days in the American West, a shoemaker would measure a person’s feet before making his boots. After the customer picked up the boots from the cobbler and put them on his feet, he would go outside and stand in the watering trough until the leather was soaking wet. Then he would wear the boots until the leather dried completely. This would cause the boots to conform exactly to the shape of his feet. No one else could ever wear his boots because they fit his feet perfectly.

Your life is the same way. The plan God designed for you fits you perfectly. No one else can fit into God’s plan for your life. But no one else can live your life for you, and no one can make you do what you don’t want to do. Your life is your own.

You may be facing problems right now. But this is not the time to make excuses for why you can’t be a success in life. This is the time to put action to your dreams.

Number Two: Don’t look back. Your answer is not behind you.

You cannot change the past; it’s history. If the answers to your dilemmas were behind you, you wouldn’t be in the mess you’re in now. Naturally speaking, the actions of your past are written on the pages of the history of your life. You can’t change what you did yesterday. You can, however, change your future. Your tomorrow can be changed because your answer is in front of you.

Number Three: Quit comparing yourself with others.

Comparing yourself with others will destroy you. It will eat you up like cancer. You are your own unique self. God was pleased when He made you the way you are. Now go out and do something with what He has given you.

When God gave you dreams and plans for the future, He knew who you were. He knew your shortcomings, and He knew what you could excel at. Quit comparing yourself with others. It will only hinder you from turning those dreams into realities.

Number Four: Don’t second-guess yourself. Make a decision and live with it.

Many years ago, I was given some good advice. I was told when making a decision to look at all of the circumstances and make a decision I could live with.

People often make decisions based on emotions. Then, after they have made their decisions, they realize their choices are impossible to live with. So they stop what they are doing and start something else.

You may have worked for a person like this. You are given an assignment to do. So you start formulating a plan and begin pulling things together to make it happen. But then when you’re halfway into the project, your boss tells you to scrap it and begin working on something new.

Although there can be valid reasons for stopping a project, constantly working or living like this only brings frustration. Take the necessary time to analyze a situation. Then, once you make a decision, stick with it.

Number Five: Learn to say, “I don’t know.”

You can’t know everything, and you can’t be everything to everybody. It’s okay to say, “I don’t know.” Once when someone asked me a question about RHEMA Bible Training Center, I didn’t know the answer and told the person so. When the individual looked at me as if I should have known the answer, I told him, “I make it a habit never to keep things in my mind that I pay someone else to remember.” I then called the Dean of RHEMA and asked him the question. He knew the answer because it was his job to know.

Some Christians think they need to know everything there is to know about the Word of God. And they become intimidated if they don’t know the answer to somebody’s question. If you don’t know something, just say so. Then tell the person you will find out and get back with him or her.

Number Six: Know your own limits.

Have a realistic evaluation of yourself—your knowledge and abilities, and what kind of pressure you can handle. Too many people try to accomplish tasks beyond their natural capabilities. You can’t expect more out of yourself than you have the knowledge and ability to achieve.

On the other hand, there are many self-help books in the library and plenty of sites on the Internet where you can get more knowledge on any subject. After studying in a certain area, then you can have the knowledge, ability, and confidence to accomplish what was once beyond you. Trying to step out in an area unknown to you, where you have no expertise, only puts you under an inordinate amount of pressure. So take the time to learn what you need to know before venturing into unfamiliar territory.

Number Seven: Give clear communication to others.

Have you ever had a hard time understanding what a person wanted? First they said one thing, and later on they said something else. They were sending out mixed signals because they weren’t communicating clearly.

You can wind up in adverse circumstances because of unclear communication. Husbands and wives often do this. If the wife suddenly becomes very quiet, the husband might ask her what is wrong. Instead of telling her husband what is bothering her, she might simply reply, “Nothing.” But her emotions begin to fester because she won’t talk about what is bothering her. Eventually her husband might say something that causes her to explode. Better communication could have averted this.

No matter who you are talking to, clear communication is essential. People aren’t mind readers, and a lot of problems can be avoided by making sure the other person understands what you are saying.

The Spiritual Arena

I have often said, “When the natural and the supernatural come together, they make an explosive force for God.” In addition to dealing with the tests and trials of life in the natural, there are also things you can do in the spiritual realm. When you come at a situation from both sides, you are much more likely to see changes.

Number One: Remember that God is with you and wants to help you out of your trouble.

Psalm 91:15 says, “He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.” This verse does not say that God will be with you only some of the time. No. He will always be with you. And He is always ready to deliver you out of trouble.

At times you may feel that everyone is against you. But Romans 8:31 (NIV) says, “What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?” Instead of voicing your feelings, continually say Romans 8:31 aloud. You need to remind yourself that if God is for you, it doesn’t matter who is against you.

Number Two: Resist fear.

You cannot be fearful and have faith at the same time. Fear is never liberating. It only hinders you. Neither can you expect the supernatural to work for you when you are filled with fear.

Paul said in Romans 8:15 that “. . . you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear” (NIV). God did not give you a spirit of fear. Instead, He gave you a spirit of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. (See 2 Tim. 1:7.) It doesn’t matter how dire your situation seems. You never have to fear, because God is on your side.

Number Three: Realize that God always has a way out.

In my position, I hear about the adversity that many people are going through. One thing I often hear them say is, “There’s no way out.” When it comes to God, these words are not true. You should strike them from your vocabulary. Although you might not see any way out of your difficulty, God has made a way!

1 CORINTHIANS 10:13 (NKJV)

13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

In this verse, the Apostle Paul is telling us that trials, tests, and temptations come to everyone. These things are “common” to all men and women. But Paul is also telling us that God will not allow us to face tests and trials beyond what we can bear. And when we experience tribulation, God will always provide a way out.

Number Four: Always maintain a good attitude.

In James 1:2, the brother of Jesus admonishes all Christians to “. . . count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations.” When you do this, you are maintaining a proper spiritual attitude. Too many people have what I call “stinking” attitudes. They complain and cry about the adversity they are facing.

Saying things like “I don’t understand why I’m going through this” or questioning why trouble came knocking on your door won’t change your situation at all. But when you “count it all joy,” you are maintaining the necessary attitude of faith. And faith is what will cause your situation to change.

Number Five: Walk in love.

First Corinthians chapter 13 is our guideline for walking in love toward others.

1 CORINTHIANS 13:4–7 (NIV)

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

The only commandment that Jesus gave to all believers was the commandment of love. (See John 13:34.) And Paul outlines for us in First Corinthians chapter 13 how to fulfill this commandment. By simply being a doer of these four verses of scripture, you can eliminate a lot of adversity from your life.

You can probably think back to a time when, if you had just been more patient or had kept your mouth shut, you wouldn’t have gotten yourself into a predicament. How many traffic accidents have been caused by impatience? How many lawsuits have been filed because people spoke and acted outside of love?

It’s always better to take the high road of love. Love never fails. And when you walk in love, you enable the God of love to move on your behalf.

Number Six: Use your faith.

Use your faith to move mountain-sized troubles out of your life. Mark 11:23 says, “For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.”

To move any kind of mountain, you must believe in your heart that the Word of God is able to change what looks unchangeable. The way this is done is to walk by the Word of God and not by what you see or feel. The Word has to be the highest and final authority in your life. If it is in the Word, you can have it.

It is imperative to always read and meditate on Scripture. F.F. Bosworth said, “Faith begins where the will of God is known.”[2]If you have any doubt on any matter, your faith will be hindered.

Number 7: Maintain the proper confession.

A proper confession is a confession that is in line with God’s Word. Have you ever met people who constantly talk about their problems, troubles, and trials? Doing this does not help their faith. In fact, a negative tongue will get them into trouble. The writer of Hebrews admonishes you to “. . . hold fast the profession of [your] faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised)” (Heb. 10:23).

When I was a young boy, there were times when my family faced adversity. I can remember sitting at the table with my mom, dad, and sis. One of us would ask, “What in the world is going on?” Mom, Sis, and I would discuss back and forth how we were going to get out of the mess we were in.

My dad would sit quietly at the table listening to us. Eventually he would interrupt us, saying, “All right, family; this is just another opportunity for us to prove that God’s Word works.” Whenever we started to whine and complain, he would always bring us back to the Word of God and trusting in God.

Even as an adult, when I would feel the pressure of some things, I would go into his office and begin complaining. He would look at me and say, “Why don’t you quit talking that way?” It got my attention! I realized what I was doing and immediately changed the way I was speaking.

Sometimes you need somebody to “jerk your chain,” so to speak. The devil is constantly trying to shift your thinking away from the Word of God. If he is successful in doing this, he can defeat you. So if a family member or a fellow Christian corrects you with godly advice, don’t become offended. Instead, quickly make the adjustment. You can turn your situation around by changing the way you talk.

Standing Firm

When the winds of adversity blow, you can keep the house of your life standing by dealing with that adversity in both the natural and spiritual arenas. As you follow the steps I have outlined, realize that some people, though they might mean well, can exert a lot of pressure on you to go in the wrong direction. They will try to sway you away from the Word of God. You don’t have to be mean to them. (As my father used to say, you can disagree without being disagreeable.) But you must be strong and stand your ground. We are admonished in Ephesians 6:13 to keep standing after we have done all to stand.

Psalm 34:17 says, “The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.” This is God’s promise to His children. He is faithful to do what He says He will do. So never doubt that God will perform His Word in your life.

[1]American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. © 2008 All rights reserved. http://www.afsp.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewpage&page_id=050CDCA2-C158-FBAC-16ACCE9DC8B7026C

[2]F. F. Bosworth, Christ the Healer. (Grand Rapids, MI: Fleming H. Revell Company, 2000), 40.

Chapter 3

Winning in the Time of Trouble

Your victory lies in your words. Good or bad, your world is framed by what you say. This is why it is so important to always talk the Word of God. Your words will set you up either to crash or to win.

Some people crash before they ever get started. That’s because when trouble comes, they say things like, “I had it better when I was in the world serving the devil.” In reality, they did not. The devil just wants them to think that way. If the devil can get you to think out of line with the Word of God, he has defeated you.

As long as you are thinking in line with God’s Word, the devil can’t defeat you. This is because right thinking produces right talking, which in turn produces faith for victory. Wrong thinking produces wrong talking. And wrong talking gets you nothing except more trials, trouble, and tribulation.

No matter what your situation looks like, you must speak the Word. And when nothing changes, you must continue speaking the Word. You can see the importance of speaking in the following familiar verse.

MARK 11:23

23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall SAY unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall BELIEVE that those things which he SAITH shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he SAITH.

You will notice that the word “saith” or “say” appears three times in this verse. On the other hand, the word “believe” appears only one time. This indicates that even though you can’t do without the believing, you have to do three times as much saying.

If you constantly talk doubt and unbelief, before you know it, you will have exactly what you are saying. You will doubt that you can ever come out of trouble, and you will believe that your situation is impossible.

Whatever kind of trouble you are in, begin quoting the Word of God. Start talking about how God can deliver you no matter what.

You may be in a situation where the atmosphere is thick with fear. But when you talk about God, the blood of Jesus, and your victory in Christ, you can literally change the atmosphere.

Have you ever walked into a room where people have been arguing? Even though no one was talking when you entered the room, you could tell that the atmosphere was charged. Harsh words had been spoken there. If you’re like most people, you turned around and quickly left so you wouldn’t get caught up in the fray!

In the same way, you can create an atmosphere with your words that will make the devil uncomfortable. When you speak the Word and talk about the blood of Jesus, the devil becomes so distressed that he will make a hasty exit.

Satan doesn’t like the blood of Jesus, for it is through the blood that your victory was made possible. It’s through the blood that you receive forgiveness for your sins. It’s through the blood that you are healed and made whole. The blood of Jesus is where your power comes from. The entire Bible is backed up by the blood. If you take the blood away, you only have words on pages of a book. The more you magnify the blood, the harder you make it for the devil to gain a foothold in your life.

Regardless of what your circumstances look like, never stop saying, “God is with me all the time (Heb. 13:5). No matter what happens or doesn’t happen, God is still God. And He will deliver me.” God enjoys turning your sorrows into gladness. He enjoys turning your tears into laughter. And God enjoys turning what the devil meant for evil into victory. He enjoys turning defeat into supernatural times of refreshing.

When your spirit has been crushed and your heart has been broken, the Lord is there to pick up the pieces and put you back together again. Psalm 34:18 (NIV) says, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Medical science and psychologists may not know how to put you back together again, but God does.

Psalm 23 is very familiar to many. Let’s take a look at verse 4:

PSALM 23:4

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

This verse says that you will “walk through” the valleys of life. Sometimes when going through the valley of adversity, you may be tempted to look around at the trouble that surrounds you. When you do this, you can easily lose your way. And that is when you are overtaken.

Do you remember the story of Peter walking on the water? In the midst of a storm, he jumped out of the boat and walked to Jesus. Peter was doing just fine until he started to look at the wind and the waves. That’s when he began to sink. When Peter kept his eyes on Jesus, he was able to do the impossible: walk on water. (See Matt. 14:29–30.)

The same is true for you. You can “walk through” your worst nightmare by fixing your eyes on Jesus and keeping the Word of God flowing out of your mouth.

Our Adversary, the ‘Roaring Lion’

We are told in First Peter 5:8 that our adversary walks about as a roaring lion. This verse does not say that the devil is a roaring lion. He is only acting like one. Too many Christians give Satan too much credit. They act as though he has a lot more power than he really does.

When I was a boy, my neighbor had an old, mean dog that he kept chained up outside. My neighbor didn’t use a typical leather collar for the dog. Instead, he used a thick chain around the dog’s neck. Then he used a long, thick chain to tie the dog to a stake. And the stake wasn’t just driven into the ground. It was secured in concrete. There was no way that dog could ever break free of the chain and hurt anyone.

I remember the first time I walked by my neighbor’s house and the dog came running after me. When I heard the dog barking and saw him running toward me, I took off as fast as I could. But then I discovered that the dog could only run the length of his chain, and then he would get jerked back. The dog would jump up and charge me again and again. But each time, the chain would jerk him back. He had a good bark, but there was no way he could ever bite me or anyone else who walked by.

The devil is like that. When you see him charging at you, begin quoting the Word of God. Here are a couple of scriptures to start with, but take the time to find more verses for yourself. Say, “Greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4). “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13). The Word of God will act like a thick chain and jerk the devil back. It will keep him from devouring you.

Triumphing in the Midst of Storms

The Apostle Paul experienced a lot of adversity in his life, probably more than you or I will ever know. In his second letter to the Corinthians, he outlines the many afflictions he encountered during his ministry:

2 CORINTHIANS 11:23–27 (NIV)

23 . . . I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again.

24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one.

25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea,

26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers.

27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.

In spite of everything that happened to Paul during his ministry, he never lost his trust in the Lord. His faith in God’s ability to deliver him never wavered. In fact, Paul said that God always caused him to triumph in Christ. (See 2 Cor. 2:14.)

No matter what the devil threw at Paul, Satan couldn’t take him out. And the devil can’t take you out either. When the Word of God is lodged in your heart and continually comes out of your mouth, you cannot be defeated—no matter what your natural circumstances look like.

Preparing for a Storm

It is important that you use the time when you are not under the stress and strain of tribulation to build yourself up in the Word of God. This way, when adversity strikes, you will be prepared.

I don’t wait for the first sign of sickness before building myself up with healing scriptures. No. I am constantly building myself up in the Word of God. Then at the first sniffle, I pounce on the symptoms that try to come on me. Did you ever notice that it is much easier to get rid of something when the devil first tries to put it on you?

It’s much easier to pull weeds in your flower bed or garden when they’re small. It’s harder to pull weeds when they are full grown. If you wait until then, you have to use a hoe to be sure you uproot the entire weed.

In north central Texas, where my family is from, farmers used to grow cotton. A weed they had to guard against was Johnson grass. It could do a lot of damage to their cotton fields. This weed could grow to be six feet tall. If a farmer was not careful, the Johnson grass could take over an entire field—choking out the tender, young cotton plants.

On my grandfather’s farm, we would take our hoes to the cotton field and hoe around the young cotton plants to remove the Johnson grass when it was still a small weed. You couldn’t wait until the grass grew to be four feet tall before trying to get rid of it. By that time, it was too late to save the cotton field. After you cleared a field of Johnson grass, you still had to keep watch for new growth. It was common to see more Johnson grass sprout up in as little as two weeks after you had first removed the weed from the field.

The devil is like this persistent weed. Just when you think he is gone from your life, he shoots up another leaf. But if you are constantly reading and meditating on the Word, you will be prepared to take the “hoe” of God’s Word and chop him out of your garden.

Believe in God

No matter what your situation looks like, you can make it! These are not just words. These are words that are in line with God’s Word. If you believe them, they will get you through any difficulty.

When I was in grade school, my first grade teacher, Miss Finley, always used to tell our class, “Don’t ever say you can’t do something. The words ‘can’t do’ do not exist in this class. If you really want to do something, you will always find a way to do it.”

How true her words are. I’m sure you can look at your life and remember things that you really wanted to do. Even though your dream may have seemed impossible, because you were so possessed by it, you were able to find a way to accomplish it.

Your first step to success is to believe that you can make it. And you also need to believe that God wants you to be successful. A scripture that needs to be indelibly stamped in your spirit is Philippians 4:13: “I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (NIV). Every time you find yourself in a crisis situation and people around you are saying you can’t do anything, respond back to them with this verse.

You can come through any circumstance. You can walk through any valley. You can go through any trial or test the devil puts in front of you. It does not matter what your circumstances look like. Scripture promises that God will deliver you out of all your trials. (See Ps. 34:17, 19.)

Unfortunately, when some people encounter trials and tribulation, they lose confidence in God and quit standing in faith. As we discussed earlier, God did not say that you would never experience a trial or test. He did say, however, that He would deliver you out of them all—if you believe Him.

If you hold on to your faith and stand your ground against the devil, God will make the crooked way straight. He will raise up the valley, and He will bring the mountains down low so you can walk on level ground. (See Isa. 40:4 and Luke 3:5.) He will break the gates of brass and cut in half the bars of iron. (See Isa. 45:2.) But you must first believe.

You can do anything you set your heart to do. This is not being egotistical or conceited. You are simply believing what God has already said about you. “I can do. . . .” These are three very simple words. But do you believe them? It’s easy to mouth words and agree with them in your mind. However, what you believe in your heart is what you will have in your life.

I have heard dear brothers and sisters in the Lord say, “I don’t know that I can make it. Everything is piling up on top of me.” You may have heard someone say something similar to this. Many times when a fellow Christian says this, it’s natural to want to pat the individual on the back and sympathize with him.

But when you do this, you are not helping the person. In fact, you are only driving him further down. It would be better to tactfully tell the individual that he needs to make an attitude adjustment.

In the same way you might go to a chiropractor to get an adjustment when your back slips out of line, you need to get into the Word of God when your attitude needs adjusting. The adversities of life can wrench your spirit man out of alignment. This usually happens when you have shifted your focus from the Lord to your circumstances.

I’ve had to make attitude adjustments in my own life. All believers are the same. It doesn’t matter if you are a minister or a lay person. I have had to grab myself by the shirt collar and say, “Hagin, straighten up! That’s not faith. That’s not what the Bible says. Stop being despondent. The Word of God says that you can make it.”

If you find yourself in this same situation, you may have to get hold of yourself and drag yourself down the road. But no matter how long it takes, just keep on dragging, because your victory is over the next hill. Nobody ever attained victory by sitting down and saying, “I can’t make it.” And nobody achieved victory by quitting.

It does not matter how many times you fall as long as you pick yourself up and keep going. Some people naturally have drive and desire. It’s easy for them to keep going when things get tough. Other people have to push themselves. It doesn’t make any difference which way your disposition is inclined. The important thing is to get up when you fall and keep going when you want to quit.

If you tell me I can’t do something, I am the type of person who will look you in the eye and prove to you that I can do it. When I was playing ball, my coaches would motivate me by saying, “Hagin, the team you’re playing against today is much better than you are. In fact, they will probably overpower you. So just do the very best you can.”

Every time they would say something like this to me, I would grit my teeth and go on the field with the attitude, “I’ll show you.” At times, I knew they were talking like this just to get me mad. But it still always motivated me.

You have to show the enemy that you know who you are in Christ. You have to let him know that you know that he is a defeated foe. In reality, he is just a big bully who talks a good game. Where I came from in Texas, we called a person who talked big but couldn’t back up his words a “blowhard.” All he could really do was whistle in the wind!

You may be thinking, But you don’t know my circumstances. I’m facing an impossible situation. I don’t have to know your circumstances. I know my God. Circumstances—how you feel or don’t feel, what you see or don’t see, and what you think or don’t think—don’t have anything to do with what God says.

God said, “You can make it.” Now it’s up to you to believe it.

Jesus said in Luke 18:27, “. . . the things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” Whatever impossible situation you are facing is not a problem for God. The impossibilities of men are possibilities with God. There is not one situation on this earth that you will ever face that is too big for God.

What often stops or hinders the hand of God is whether you can believe. Jesus said, “. . . All things are possible to him that believeth” (Mark 9:23). The choice is yours. If you can believe, all things are possible.

The Apostle Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Phil. 4:13). You can live the more-abundant life that Christ wants you to live. (See John 10:10.) Jehovah Jireh, the Lord Who will provide, is working things out on your behalf. (See Gen. 22:14.) El Shaddai, the God Who is more than enough, is well able to turn impossible situations into possibilities. (See Gen. 17:1.) God is more than enough for any problem that comes your way.

Nothing is impossible with God, so quit saying it’s impossible.

Here is something I want you to do. Take a piece of blank paper or a white card and write the word impossible on it. Then draw a circle around the word. Now, mark an X through the word. Underneath the circled and x’d-out word, write this phrase: Impossibilities do not exist with me and God.

Now, keep the paper or card in your Bible or in a place where you will see it all the time. Every time you look at it, say, “Mr. Devil, I x’d-out the impossible on ____ (fill in the date).” When someone says to you, “That’s impossible; it can’t be done,” pull out that paper and remind yourself and the devil of when you x’d impossibilities out of your life.

God said you can do it. Now it’s up to you to believe what God said and not cast away your confidence in Him.

HEBREWS 10:35–36

35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward.

36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.

When your situation doesn’t look like it is changing, keep speaking the Word. And keep believing that your impossibilities are possibilities with God. When you continue to do this in spite of what you see, you are not casting away your confidence.

Some people have confidence in God until they start experiencing pressure. The moment pressure confronts them, they lose their confidence. But God will not disappoint you when your trust is solely in Him. If you get bad news, don’t hit the panic button. Relax in the arms of God.

Elisha A. Hoffman wrote the words to an old hymn we used to sing: “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms.”[1]The first verse and chorus go like this:

What a fellowship, what a joy divine,

Leaning on the everlasting arms;

What a blessedness, what a peace is mine,

Leaning on the everlasting arms.

Chorus:

Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms;

Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.

You don’t have anything to fear or dread. When you’re leaning on the arms of God, He has you in the palms of His hands.

The devil wants you to think that you are the only one who has ever faced your situation. Meditating on thoughts like that will cause you to lose your confidence in God. To keep from thinking like that, you may have to stand up and shout as loud as you can, “Devil, there are a lot of people whose situation has been far worse than mine, and they came through it. If they came through, I’m coming through. If they can make it, I can make it. God said I can make it, and I am putting my trust in Him!”

Some people are afraid to step out and do something for God because they’re afraid of failing. But you are never a failure if you keep getting up and trying again. You only become a failure when you stop getting back up.

When I was a boy and during my teenage years, I played baseball. Sometimes when I hit the ball, I knew the other team was going to throw me out at first base. However, I still ran as fast as I could to the base.

I don’t care what the devil throws at you. I don’t care what it looks like. Even if it looks as though you will be thrown out before you reach first base, just keep on going. In a baseball game, you never know whether the first baseman will catch the ball or miss. But in the game of life, I guarantee you the devil will miss if you keep on going. God will see to it that Old Slewfoot doesn’t throw you out.

In the 1950s there was a popular network TV show called You Asked for It. Viewers would write in asking to see a particular thing on the program. Many of the requests were for things that seemed impossible to accomplish. I remember one time the program showed a pilot landing a Cessna 150 airplane on the roof of a car that was traveling down the highway at 60 miles an hour. It seemed impossible, but he did it!

Most of the things that you believe are impossible are really not impossible. If you work long enough and hard enough at the project, you will find a way to make the impossible possible. In the natural, most things are possible. But with God, all things are possible.

If someone tells you that something cannot be done, look him squarely in the eye and say, “Oh yes it can. God is working on my behalf to turn the impossible into the possible.” Likewise, if a fellow Christian is down because of seemingly impossible circumstances, lift him up. Encourage him in the Lord by saying, “You can make it! God said you can make it. Nothing is bigger or greater than God—nothing!”

You are greater than all of your problems—not because of who you are but because of Whose you are. First John 4:4 (NIV) says, “You . . . have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

When you are tempted to be swayed by your circumstances, learn to turn a deaf ear to negativity. This is especially important when friends, family, or coworkers are trying to pressure you into quitting. At times like this, you must not be moved by what you see or feel.

Paul didn’t tell us to take steps of faith only when we can clearly see what lies ahead. No. He said, “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7). We walk by the Word of God. And Paul said in Romans 10:8, “The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith. . . .”

Words of faith must be in your mouth. You overcome the enemy with words that are backed by the power of the Word of God. You can say a lot of “words,” but there isn’t any authority or power in your words. The devil is moved only by the Word of God. This is because Jesus has already defeated him. He took him out to the pasture and, as we say in Texas, “done whupped him good!”

When you recognize that you are a joint heir with Christ (see Rom. 8:17), and you begin to say to the devil, “It is written . . . ,” he will back off. He knows he has been defeated. He knows he doesn’t have any power or authority over you. But he won’t back down until the Word of God is used against him.

When using your authority over Satan, you don’t have to say a lot. Some people talk all day without saying much. But when you are combating the enemy, you have to say only a few words. Your adversary may say to you, “This is the biggest problem you have ever come up against.” Simply reply back, “It is written, ‘Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world’” (1 John 4:4).

To be successful and win in times of trouble, you must learn to say (in the midst of adversity), “I can make it.” You are a child of God. You are blood-washed and blood-redeemed. And it’s through the word of your testimony and the blood of the Lamb that you overcome. (See Rev. 12:11.)

No matter what your situation looks like, continually declare that you can make it. The Word you have hidden in your heart is your ammunition against the devil. Take him to task by telling him what the Word of God says. As you stand your ground, you will see the devil run off.

You can make it, no matter what adversity you are facing! Just believe it and speak it, and soon you will live it!

[1] Elisha A. Hoffman, 1887, “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms.” Public Domain.

About the Author

Kenneth W. Hagin

Kenneth W. Hagin, President of Kenneth Hagin Ministries and pastor of RHEMA Bible Church, seizes every ministry opportunity to impart the attitude of “I cannot be defeated, and I will not quit.” Rev. Hagin has ministered for 50 years, beginning as an associate pastor and traveling evangelist. He has organized and developed RHEMA Bible Training Centers around the world and is the founding pastor of RHEMA Bible Church. He hosts the annual A Call to Arms® Men’s Conference and with his wife, Lynette, cohosts RHEMA Praise, a weekly television program, and Rhema for Today, a weekday radio program broadcast throughout the United States. They also conduct Living Faith Crusades, spreading the message of faith and healing to the world.

To fulfill the urgent call of God to prepare the Church for a deeper experience of His Presence, Rev. Hagin emphasizes key spiritual truths about faith, healing, and other vital subjects. He ministers with a strong healing anointing, and his ministry helps lead believers into a greater experience of the glory of God.

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Visit www.rhema.org/wpc

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Table of Contents

You Can Make It!

Trouble Comes to Everyone

The Great Leveler

Winning in the Time of Trouble

About the Author

More Information from KHM

Table of Contents

You Can Make It!

Trouble Comes to Everyone

The Great Leveler

Winning in the Time of Trouble

About the Author

More Information from KHM