There are four essentials for victory in trials:
- A joyful attitude
- An understanding mind
- A surrendered will
- A heart that wants to believe
James 1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations: knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.Outlook determines outcome, and attitude determines action. God tells us to expect trials. The believer who expects his Christian life to be easy is in for a shock. Jesus warned his disciples. "In the world ye shall have tribulation" (John 16:33). Paul told his converts that "we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22).Some trials come simply because we are human -- sickness, accidents, disappointments, even tragedies. Other trials come because we are Christians.When we face the trials of life, we must evaluate them in the light of what God is doing for us. This explains why the dedicated Christian can have joy in the midst of trials: he/she lives for the things that matter most.
