Minister Micah - Bible Study Topics on Facing Tribulation

Adversity, or tribulation, is a state of difficulty or continued misfortune, otherwise known as hard times. It comes from the Latin word adversus, which means “turned against.” Out of every event we see in God’s Word, we see adversity more than anything else, and we see how the enemy uses hard times to convince us to turn against God. But, in all the adversity and tribulation we see God’s Word, God has given us Bible study topics through His servant James how to respond to it.

James 1:2 says, “whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.” In this Scripture, we see James use a way with words where the message is in the structure of his words. To face a trial is only to face it, not to meditate on it.  Our thinking in the face of adversity is way more important than the adversity itself. What we consider affects what we know, and James reminds us here that what we know is bigger than what we face.  He tells us to consider – to meditate or think on – our adversity as joy and nothing outside of that, knowing that that the testing of our faith produces endurance. Some translations translate “know” to “make sure.” What we are sure of is what covers our thinking. 

In the face of adversity, God wants us to come to a place being mature, complete, and lacking in nothing. James makes it clear that being mature, complete, and lacking in nothing depends on what we are considering and what we have brought ourselves to know. What are we meditating on when life gets hard? Whether Sun or rain, joy starts with what we are considering. When we bring ourselves to this type of thinking, our adversity will begin to feed our faith rather than cause it to falter.

By: Minister Micah