No Pain, No Gain

I am familiar with the verse of 'No Pain, No Gain'. Having been an athlete in my youth, one of the sports I played was hockey. There was a new season, a new beginning every year. Often, I was out of shape. But it was a goal of being physically fit to achieve my best. And that meant being pushed by our coach to get us into shape. The body muscles get tested and begin to hurt- must I say it hurt a lot! My teammates and I would be pushed to the limits of our bodies. After several weeks of pain, our body would begin to build and strengthen muscle. After a while, the pain would go away. Hence the phrase- 'No Pain, No Gain'. You don't gain any muscle or strength with out enduring the phase of the muscles go through. 

God also puts us through pain. I go through pain- manifested by the enemy in my thoughts. I get put down, demoralized, betrayed by my thoughts. I begin to even want to despise life and God.

But... I believe God is putting me through a trial, continuing to strengthen me to focus on Lord through every trial. It has taken me a while to realize to look to the Lord. I may have not read my daily devotional.

A devotional is essential!!! It is a portal of which God uses to speak to me. He may show you, in the devotional, what or why you are going through at the moment.

God puts us through pain to gain. To gain what or how He wants to build you up. To strengthen you in the area where you need it.

No matter what happens in your life, look to the Lord !!! He wants us to DEPEND ON HIM !!!