Chapter Five
How Do You Solve Troubles?
Everyone is convinced he has more than his share of troubles. Most people readily will
talk about having many problems. Yet, most people are hesitant to discuss specific problems
because they fear they will reveal the depth of their struggles. The Christian does not exist who
does not struggle with some spiritual matters, who does not fight internal battles, and who does not
have some problems that he fears are unresolvable. Every Christian wearies of his own conflicts.
Since personal troubles create a continuing, daily dilemma for every Christian, how should he seek
to solve troubles and problems?
Attitudes Toward Troubles Attitude two: "Give in to troubles." This is a defeatist's attitude of surrender. He reasons
he cannot win against troubles for three reasons: they are bigger than he is; he cannot destroy
them; and they will never cease. Fighting against them only produces pain and a prolonged
struggle. His philosophy is to choose the course of the least amount of suffering. It guarantees he
will encounter serious depression which likely will end in despair.
Attitude three: "Accept troubles as a fact and learn to live with them." This is likely the
most common Christian attitude toward personal troubles. It is the most common advice given to
those struggling with problems. This advice declares one is to accept his troubles by refusing to
ignore them or to pretend the troubles are not there. Under no circumstances does he surrender to
them. After making necessary adjustments, he lives his life in sprit of his troubles. While this
attitude contains definite elements of a healthy spiritual outlook, it does not answer some important
questions. Is a Christian's only recourse to live with his troubles? Is the only answer to all troubles
accepting them and making necessary adjustments?
Attitude four: "Destroy your troubles by solving them." Every Christian would agree that
this attitude is a worthy ambition and a noble aspiration. Yet, everyone knows the difficulty of
actually resolving all troubles. A few years of adulthood teaches one that some problems defy
solution regardless of one's determination or good intentions.
Troubles And Solutions Second, some private troubles are beyond an individual's power of resolve. 2
Corinthians 12:7-10 illustrates this truth in Paul's life:
To guard Paul against conceit, he received, suffered from, and endured a thorn in the flesh sent from
Satan. The Lord refused to remove the problems. He declared His grace would sustain Paul, and His
power would be perfected in Paul's weakness. With that understanding, Paul accepted his problem
as a blessing rather than a frustration.
Were it not for troubles, Christians would be self-reliant and would be convinced that they
did not need the Lord's help. Even with troubles they too easily become self-reliant. Some troubles
are in the Christian's best spiritual interest because they serve as a constant reminder of his need for
dependence upon the Lord's strength. Continuing troubles cause Christians to understand that the true
power of spiritual preservation and endurance is found in total dependence upon the Lord.
What personal troubles can a Christian resolve? Basically he can resolve those which are of
his own making. Those include troubles which exist because of one's own actions, of personal
feelings and attitudes of ignorance, and of one's own lack of wisdom and spirituality. These are the
common sources of most personal troubles and of most of life's hurts and pains.
Hindering Solution First, a Christian can prohibit a solution to his troubles by defending the faults and
weaknesses which produced the problem. Most troubles exist for one of two reasons. He refuses to
identify his faults and weaknesses, or he defends his faults or weaknesses by arguing that they are
innocent and not responsible for the problem. Some Christians are actually proud of their faults and
weaknesses saying, "I am not ashamed that I... It is foolish and ridiculous for anyone to think that is
harmful." This turns the faults and weaknesses which created the troubles into personal merits.
Troubles are never resolved by defending faults and weaknesses.
Second, a Christian can prohibit a solution to his troubles by justifying his mistakes, faults,
or weaknesses. Common justifications include these: "I know this is wrong; I should not act this way;
I should not have this attitude. But the situation is not really my fault; I am not to blame." "If Brother
Joe had not acted as he did, I would never have done that." "The circumstances gave me no other
choice." Often when a troubled Christian is encouraged to accept responsibility for his actions, he
responds, "I am certain in the same situation you would have done the same thing--or worse!" Or,
"You were not there and do not understand; had you been there, you would not say that!" The
reasoning which justifies ones weaknesses is this: (1) What was done was undeniably wrong. (2)
However, a reason makes it right in my situation. (3) Circumstances demand that it should be ignored
in my case. (4) My situation is an exception. Troubles are never resolved by justifying or excusing
weaknesses.
Third, a Christian can prohibit a solution to his troubles by evading or ignoring faults and
weaknesses. This person emphatically declares there is nothing wrong with him, and he has done
nothing wrong. The personal problem exists, but it is not the result of his actions. Or, this person
adeptly ignores the trouble by refusing to talk about it. By choosing to ignore the whole matter he
declares it is no one's concern but his. In either case, the person is pretending. The idea of his having
a problem is a creation of someone else's imagination. Troubles are never resolved by evading or
ignoring mistakes or weaknesses.
Aiding Solution Second, he must look for the source of trouble within himself. The Christian with the courage
and honesty to admit his troubles arise from is own life is rare. Most will blame any possible thing to
create a scapegoat and to evade the responsibility and failure. Rather than admit the cause lies within
their own minds and hearts, they play the role of the victim. Christians who are serious about
resolving troubles must ask themselves some hard questions and search for honest answers within.
Third, he must have a "gut desire" to either defeat the problem or control the trouble.
Wanting the trouble to end or preferring the problem to be resolved is insufficient. Only a compelling
desire which makes finding a solution a matter of urgency and of top priority will create sufficient
motivation to produce change. Changing has to become a must.
Christians who use troubles for a convenient excuse for their actions and behavior do not want
their troubles to disappear. Neither do those who use their troubles to evade spiritual responsibility
or service. Their professions of desiring solutions are often less than honest.
The Critical Factor It is easy to say, "Lord, help me!" This usually means, "Lord, use your power in some
marvelous way to make my troubles disappear." This person sits as a bystander awaiting a wondrous
act which never comes. It is more difficult to say, "Lord , help me! I hold nothing back." This person
is ready to do anything, to make any change if granted the wisdom to understand what to do. This
good attitude is still not the spiritually mature attitude. The most difficult statement is, "Lord, with no
reservations or qualifications, I ask You to help me in any way You will." This person makes no
conditions, places nothings off-limits. There are no restrictions on how God helps or what experiences
he must endure. He seeks help regardless of what must happen. This is the attitude of mature faith
which builds solutions.
When a Christian asks for God's help with troubles or problems, he is requesting one of the
following: (1) He is asking God to resolve the problem through a solution which will end the matter.
(2) If a solution is not possible, he is asking God for the wisdom and understanding to cope with the
problem. Coping allows him through Christ to retain control of his life. (3) If coping is not possible,
he is asking God for the strength to endure the problem. Though he cannot control the problem, the
strength enables him to live through it. He still chooses the life in Christ he wants and keeps his faith
and hope intact. When a Christian has full faith in God, he is confident God can do any of these three
things. He does not choose which of the three God must do; he gratefully accepts any of the three.
The critical issue in resolving troubles is faith. Faith is measured by the degree one trusts the
Lord. On a night filled with more troubles than any Christian today could imagine, Jesus tried to
prepare his best friends for his betrayal and execution. Revealing the unthinkable, he declared he
would be killed, and he would go to a place they could not come. They would be scattered and come
to be hated and rejected. All that the disciples could see were troubles crashing down upon them. In
those moments of uncertainty and confusion, Jesus said, "Let not your heart be troubled; believe in
God; believe also in me" (John 14:1) Moments later he said, "These things have I spoken unto you,
that in me ye may have peace. In the world ye have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have
overcome the world" (John 16:33). Tribulations are unavoidable in this world. Even so, in Him there
is peace.
Years after witnessing that night, Peter wrote, "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty
hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time; casting all your anxiety upon him, for he careth for
you" (I Peter 5:6,7). Paul, who knew the full meaning of trouble, wrote, "In nothing be anxious; but
in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto
God" (Philippians 4:6). Again, he wrote, "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly
above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be the glory in the
church, and in Christ Jesus unto all generations forever and ever. Amen." (Ephesians 3:20, 21)
There is nothing in life so terrible or so powerful that it surpasses the Lord's ability to help
His people. The Lord can help a Christian with any form of trouble or any kind of problem. Nothing
is beyond His helping and caring. Being helped with troubles is never a question of the Lord's power.
It is a question of trusting the Lord's power, of being honest and open about one's troubles, and of
being willing to pay faith's price of solving, coping with, or enduring one's troubles. Because Jesus
has overcome the world, He can help any Christian overcome. If one believes in God and in Jesus,
he has no reason to let his heart be troubled.
Thought Questions
No Christian responsibility exceeds the challenge of developing the proper outlook on
problems. The variety of attitudes concerning problems held by Christians illustrates the difficulty.
Attitude one: "Ignore troubles!" One is to pretend troubles are not there and act as though they
do not exist. He is to refuse to think about them or to consider their effects. However, few people
have the ability to ignore personal troubles even briefly. Those who can ignore them can do so
only temporarily. One cannot pretend troubles away. Troubles exist because something is amiss
in one's life, and that something is serious enough to cause pain and frustration. Ignoring troubles
only allows them to grow in size and seriousness.
While "solve your problems" would be the obvious attitude of choice, the question
remains, "How do you solve personal troubles?" Will determination and effort solve all problems?
Can a Christian realistically hope to eliminate all his troubles by resolving them? No! Regardless
of his faith and determination, a Christian cannot solve all his personal troubles for two reasons.
First, some troubles exist because of the deeds, actions, or troubles of others. If the trouble in
part or in whole is produced by someone else, complete resolution of the problem does not lie in
one's own power. He is not helpless and powerless in the face of such troubles. He simply cannot
resolve them alone.
To solve personal troubles, one must understand the factors which prohibit a solution. Some
attitudes and actions make it impossible for a person to solve his troubles. Those actions and attitudes
must be identified and understood. To live with troubles which can be resolved is foolish and
destructive. A Christian must be certain his troubles are not continuing because he stands in the way
of the solution.
To solve personal problems, one also must understand the factors which aid a solution. First,
he must admit the problem is there. As an example, an alcoholic and a drug addict cannot be helped
until they admit their addiction. Both commonly refuse to admit their addiction. They pretend they
have a smaller, more manageable problem. This attitude is characteristic of all problemed people
including Christians. It is hard to confess problems to self. The problem itself generates an
intimidating fear which forces the person to hide from himself. Confessing the problem is confessing
a failure; no one wishes to admit failure. Confessing the problem is an admission that one cannot cope
with the problem; that is a distasteful admission.
The greatest factor in coping with or triumphing over personal troubles is confidence in the
Lord's ability to help His people. The Christian who is determined to resolve his troubles will lay
aside all defenses, excuses, false justifications, evasions, and pretenses. He will pray, "Lord, please
help me. I hold nothing back; I ask without reservation or qualification. Help me! In any way You
can, with whatever it takes, help me!"
Questions
Chapter Five
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