Defy the OddsSample

God has allowed painful circumstances in your life for a reason: He wants to use all you have experienced to grow your faith and impact others for eternity. Do not despise what you have experienced or what you’re currently going through, because God has great plans to use every hurt to bring people to Himself. He wants to use your testimony to help others walk through their darkest times.

In Mark 5, Jesus heals a man who is possessed with a demon. The man pleads to go with Him, but Jesus doesn’t allow him to do that. In verse 19, He tells the man, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” Being with Jesus was the man’s only focus, but Jesus knew his testimony would cause others to believe—that it would change the lives of those around him.

The same is true for your testimony. Let God use it to impact those around you for eternity. When people know you have overcome circumstances similar to their own, they connect with you and grow more willing to let you closer to their hurt. From that place of empathy, you can point them to Christ, and they can begin healing as well. God wants to use you. He wants you to be His hands and feet to lead others and be His voice of encouragement that offers hope in dark times. He will create a ministry out of your misery. He will give purpose to the challenges you’ve endured.

The author of Psalm 119:71 says, “It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.” Affliction brings us closer to God and strengthens our faith. Let God have your past, and you will learn all that He has planned for your future. God will defy the odds in your life when you allow Him to move you from a victim to a victor. And you must allow Him to move; He will not force you to let go of your pain to experience healing. While it may be the most difficult step to take, you can overcome any hardship when you realize the power of your choices, let God have your hurt, and trust Him to purpose your pain for His kingdom.

Don’t let past hurt or present fear keep you in bondage. God has so much more for your life—the life of a victor!