A principle my wife and I live by is this: ‘We do our best, (according to biblical wisdom and knowledge) and trust God for the rest.’ Many times we have had to say, “God, we don’t understand this, it doesn’t seem fair or just or right - but we trust you!” When God doesn’t do what you think He should do, that’s when you need to trust Him. The more you know the Planner, the more you will trust the plan and trials will test your trust.

“We should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us, in whom we trust that He will still deliver us.” - (2 Cor 1:9-10)

• “Who delivered us.” Past tense
• “And does deliver us.” Present tense
• “Whom we trust that He will still deliver us.” Future tense

God doesn’t waste any of our experiences. He will take your past and make it serve your future. He can turn your misery into ministry and enable you to reach people you couldn’t understand before, much less minister to.

Your crisis is an opportunity to grow, to learn, to get closer to God, to invent something, to develop a new relationship, to understand others and be in a position to help them.

Looking to God during tough times works transformation and maturity in us:

1. It was Paul’s imprisonment (social isolation) that gave him the opportunity to write almost half of the New Testament.
2. It was the lions’ den that made Daniel an overcomer and brought promotion.
3. It was Job’s trials that made him a legend and doubled the size of his estate.
4. It was David’s victory over Goliath that positioned him to become King of Israel.
5. It was the fiery furnace that burned off the bondages and raised the three Hebrew children to a place of great prominence.

You will never succeed if you throw up your hands and quit every time something goes wrong. The world and the church both need leaders who never lose hope and who know how to move forward in crisis situations.

We all must:

• Learn from the past - squeeze every bit of wisdom that you can out of it.
• Look to the future with great hope and expectation - based upon the nature of God, the promises of God, and your own full commitment to walk in His ways.
• Live in the present! Do what you can with what you’ve got now, and God will expand it!

Great Hope for the Future Releases Great Power in the Present!

Dr. George Hill
President & Founder
Victory Churches International