When times get tough, many of us may want to just give up. We are tired of the struggle. We are tired of the pain. We are tired of insanity. We want things to be the same as they were. But life is not like this. Evolution is the standard. We can be sure of change. But just because life changes doesn’t mean we HAVE to go insane, that we can’t remain the vessels God has chosen us to be. In times when everyone would understand if we just fell apart and STAYED apart, God says:

Don’t grieve like people who have no hope; seek the Lord and you will have everything you need (1 Thessalonians 4:13; Psalm 34:10).

This is not a charge to take up a strong black woman mantle and walk in our own strength, but this is the charge to know the One who gives strength and to take up His mantle so that we can get His strength, stand, and see His glory working in the midst of a mess (2 Corinthians 12:9; Psalm 46:10).

I don’t care if your mess is one that you created, that came upon a loved one, that happened from governmental changes or from the wicked one, who’s constantly working to make us unstable (1 Peter 5:8); please, know this: God will give you what you need to escape despair, to claim and reign in hope and not to mope around in pity (1 Corinthians 10:13). He has given us the method to use and it’s the one He’s given that we might be able to walk in victory even in a rough fight. We can mourn differently than the world, seek God and receive what we need because we have the main key, His Word:

Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.—Psalm 119:105

God’s Word, whether written or spoken to you in quiet time or prophetically by some other means, is what sustains us. His Word tells us how and where to walk. His Word illuminates the darkness and gives us everything we need, no matter the situation. We lose hope in our struggles when we lose sight of God’s Word. We can’t afford to lose hope. When we do, we lose sight of God.

So as my days have been long and full of trouble, I lean to what God has already told me to keep me strong:

1. Give Him immediate thanks upon awaking for waking me up;
2. Have quiet time with God (which includes prayer, Bible reading and/or study, meditation and most times journaling);
3. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables;
4. Drink lots of water; and
5. Drink daily a fresh juice, usually one with green produce and loaded with vitamin C.

This has been how God has prepared me in my times of peace. This is how I must continue, and what I must amp up, in my times of war. With seeing about the welfare of my mom, who has been in the hospital for almost a month, caring for my family (including home educating my sons) and ministering to others as God sees fit, I can’t afford to put aside the very ingredients that He has given to sustain me. I hope you have a Master plan and stick to it when times get tough. This is the only way we can make it and still look like He intends.

What is your Master plan and how has it sustained you in good and tough times?