Exodus 3:7 - The LORD said, "I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have given heed to their cry because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their sufferings. NASU 
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• God Sees Our Sufferings 

God was informing Moses He is aware of the affliction or suffering of His people. God doesn't change. In the book of James 1:17 - Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. 
 
What James is telling us is God, our Heavenly Father, doesn't change. He isn't one way today and changes tomorrow. There is "no variation" with God. He is dependable. We can trust Him.
 
This is also true of Jesus, the Son of God, as the apostle Paul tells us in the book of Hebrews 13:8 - Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 
 
I have been asked to preach at the congregation where Barbara and I worship in May. The message I am going to share is about what it means to have Jesus in your boat (or life) from Luke 8:22f.
 
One of my take away points is this with Jesus in your boat be prepared for storms. His disciples came to Him and said, "Master, Master, we are perishing."
 
Some of these men were fishermen. They made their living on the Sea of Galilee. How many storms do you think they had previously encountered? Yet, this time they tell Him we are about to die.
 
It had to have been a very difficult storm for them to believe they were all going to die. 

• Your Faith Will Get You Through 

The disciples were smart enough to go to Jesus for help. It will be your faith in God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ that will get you through your trials, sufferings or afflictions.
 
I guarantee it.
 
God not only sees your sufferings, but He is the One who will never forsake you. He saw the sufferings of the Israelites and He sees yours.
 
He is the One you want to turn to in times of trouble. He is the One who sees what we are going through, hears our prayers, and answers them.
 
God is Faithful and we must remain faithful to Him.
 
Think About This:
 
Faith helps us face the music, even when we don't like the tune. 

Stay Pumped,
 
Gary A. Serago
 
Minister of God's Word

Prov. 24:16 - "For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again,..."

A study of Proverbs will reveal the way to overcome adversity is to get back up after you have had your encounter with adversity. 

• Get Back Up

It doesn't matter where you are in life you can testify to this truth. As you were on your way you were knocked down by something.

It may have been an illness, a medical set back such as a torn ACL, a rejection of your resume, failure to accomplish a set goal, a divorce or the death of a loved one.
 
There are thousands of ways to get knocked down but if we intend on overcoming adversity we must get back up and re-enter the race.

We must get back up on our own two feet and start again. 

• How Do You Get Back Up?

How you get back up doesn't really matter. What matters is you find a way to become motivated again. What does it take to re-invigorate you?
 
For some, it would be a conversation with someone that you respect, or watching a movie or reading about other people who overcame adversities.

Are you one that is able to motivate yourself? Or are you the kind who will graciously allow others to help motivate you?

It doesn't matter which method works for you. What matters is in order to overcome adversity you will get back up and move forward with another plan and a new head full of ideas. 

•  How Many Times Do You Rise? 

You rise every time you get knocked down is the correct answer. But the writer of Proverbs says you get back up 7 times and that is true if you believe he is speaking literally. I believe he is speaking figuratively. The number "7" in the Bible means perfect or complete.

Every time you get knocked down by life you get back up on your feet and start all over again.    

• Why Does Life Knock Us Down?

I have trained myself not to ask the question "Why".
 
I always ask myself "What".
 
What can I learn from this trial? I then write down the things that I can learn and allow these to help motivate me positively to keep moving forward to accomplish my goal.

If you ask "Why" you may never be able to determine if the answers you come up with are true.

If you're knocked down get back up and you'll be glad you did.

If you meet some events that knock you down in life then plan on getting back up and re-engaging.
 
This is the correct way to overcome adversity.
 
Think On These:

The difficulties of life are to make us better - not bitter.

Say what you will about trouble; it always gives us something to talk about.

Stay Pumped,
 
Gary A. Serago
 
Minister of God's Word

Job 1:12 - Then the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him." So Satan departed from the presence of the LORD.
 
Job 2:4-6
Satan answered the LORD and said, "Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. "However, put forth Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh; he will curse You to Your face." So the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, he is in your power, only spare his life."  NASU 

• Some Suffering Comes From Satan 

The Hebrew word "satan" means "adversary".  We can see God's adversary stating the only reason Job loves, honors, obeys and serves God is God has built a hedge around him and in so doing protects Job.
 
Job 1:8-11 - The LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil." Then Satan answered the LORD, "Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face." 
 
At different stages of our life, we can be sure God's adversary (satan) will want to inflict some type of suffering into our lives. In the case of Job, we can see his sufferings were financial, family, religious, marital and health. They all came upon him immediately and without any warning signs.
 
I studied the book of Job a few years back and arrived at numerous conclusions but the one that sticks with me the most is this:
 
Job suffered because the LORD had faith in him.
 
The LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job?..." 

• God Has Faith In Us 

When was the last time you were suffering and your first thought was "Okay, I am going to have to endure a little suffering because the LORD has faith in me."
 
Yeah, I didn't think so. It isn't generally my first thought either.
 
BUT, it is true. The LORD has faith in us. He has given us His Word which is able to strengthen us to endure any temptation. Here is how the apostle Paul penned it down:
 
1 Corinthians 10:13 - No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. 
 
God has faith in us. Any temptation we face has been faced by others before us.
 
God also makes us two promises, the first promise is He will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear and the second promise is He will provide us a way of escape in order for us to endure the temptation.
 
Therefore, when you find yourself suffering or being tempted, keep looking for the way to escape.
 
It is there.
 
You must remain calm and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you God's plan of escape for you.
 
Think About This:
 
A person falls into temptation because he is unwilling to stand up against it.

Stay Pumped,
 
Gary A. Serago
 
Minister of God's Word
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​Rom. 8:18 - "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us."   NASU

• Sufferings (vs.) Future Glory 

The apostle Paul really gives us a gem with this passage of scripture. He informs us how to handle times of sufferings.
 
We all are going to suffer in this world. We may suffer physically, mentally, or emotionally, but we will all suffer in some way.
 
It really doesn't matter how we suffer. What matters is how we deal with our sufferings when they come.
 
The way I picture this scene is this way: first visualize a set of scales. On the one side we place all of our present sufferings and on the other side you place your future glory of being in Heaven.
 
KABOOM!
 
The side with your future glory being much heavier immediately forces the pan down and your sufferings go flying off of the other side.
 
Paul is basically saying that, our present sufferings in this life are not worthy to be compared with our future eternal glory in heaven.
 
When you suffer please remember to compare your sufferings with your future reward of being in God's glory, Heaven.
 
The apostle John said it this way:
 
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, 4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away."  Revel. 21:1-4   NASU 

• Temporarily (vs.) Eternal 

A good way for us to look at our suffering is like this: our sufferings are temporary. They have a life span and they will come to an end.
 
On the other hand with God our glory is eternal. There will be no end to our glory.
 
It is a no brainer. When you are suffering compare them to eternal glory with God in Heaven. There really is no comparison.
 
Think On These:
 
People always get into trouble when they think they can handle their lives without God.
 
God isn't just a present help in time of trouble, but a great help in keeping us out of trouble.

Stay Pumped,
 
Gary A. Serago
 
Minister of God's Word

 2 Kings 6:5 - "As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water."Oh no, my lord!" he cried out. "It was borrowed!" 

• We've All Experienced A Crisis 

I am sure many of us can relate to this crisis. You borrow something from someone and then you break it or lose it.
 
Can we prevent a crisis from barging into our lives?
 
I believe the answer is "yes". We can avoid some but not all of them. If you are like me you can think back on some of your past crises and had you listened to the advice you were given by parents, friends, or spouse you could have avoided some of them.
 
There is no way we will avoid all crisis situations. 

• What Is A Crisis? 

A crisis happens when we lose our abilities to cope with a personal life situation. Some crises are very hard to endure. Some will last a very long time.
 
We have an American phrase "going postal".  This phrase was first coined after a mass killing in Edmond, OK in 1986 at a Post Office building.
 
There a postal worker had been reprimanded the day before and thought he was going to be terminated the next day. When he went to work the next day he killed 14 people and wounded 6 others. Then he committed suicide.
 
He not only didn’t know how to cope with a crisis in his own life, but he put numerous families into a crisis situation because of his actions. 

• Different Types Of Crises 

There are different types of crises. Some end as fast as they start i.e. lost your car keys, wallet or wedding ring only to find them a few minutes later.
 
If you are in a crisis right now maybe this Pump Up will help you through it. 

• Facts About A Crisis 

First, there are no insignificant ones. Our lives rest figuratively speaking on a set of balance scales. When one side gets too far out of balance a crisis is near.
 
When someone tells us to "Be Patient" they are actually saying "Learn to cope with your crisis". The next time you find yourself in a crisis remember this - there are no insignificant ones.  Next, ask yourself, "How can I cope with this?"
 
Can I figure this out on my own, should I confide in a friend or should I seek professional help?

Proverbs 15:22 says, "Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many counselors bring success." NLT
 
Second, they can illuminate us. The crises we find ourselves in can open our eyes to see things as we've never seen them. What crisis can you look back on and say honestly, "Yeah, I am glad I went through it. It has made me a better person."
 
Now not all crises will have this effect but I would say more will than won't. I remember a man telling me one time, "What doesn't kill you will only make you stronger." I really didn't want to hear that then, but he was correct.
 
Think About This:
 
See your crisis as a liberation, not an incarceration.

Stay Pumped,
 
Gary A. Serago
 
Minister of God's Word