When Setbacks Strike

Not Your Ordinary Response to Opposition

Face-to-Face with Thirty-Thousand-Foot Oppositions, Barriers, and Setbacks – Part 2

I really wanted to call this one “I give you permission to cuss at God.” For some I should say “curse” but I’m sure you get the meaning, to say bad words. Well, I couldn’t use such a title because some of my ordinary, on-the-way-to-becoming uncommon friends will take this too far. Trust me, I’ve experienced this twice in the case of cursing God. Let me tell you about one of them and you’ll understand why.

Pamela and I, a few years ago, had the privilege of counseling a young couple who were considering marriage (that’ll be a subject for another day). The guy in the relationship was a person who was what we call in the church, far from God. He became my “far-from-God” friend. He was accustomed, as normal people tend to be, to using many profane, cuss words. You know there is a difference between when someone curses and when someone cusses, right? At any rate, we were getting through to him and formed a pretty good relationship. So he started getting into the Bible some and we had discussions about prayer and faith. This is where he said he didn’t know how to pray so I made it simple. I asked him to talk to God like he’d talk to his dad. And that’s when he said he couldn’t do that because he cusses at his daddy. [A to the left moment] If you know me, you know I can be a tad-bit extreme so I said… cuss at God as long as you talk to Him. Think about that for a minute as I transition into the subject of your adversaries driving you to the point of cussing.

You Can Handle It “When Life Comes at You Fast”
Pamela and I had a small group called “When Life Comes At You Fast.” I just like the sound of that. Did you know that life all by itself will throw you some blows? It will send you some oppositions, setbacks, and challenges. Jesus says it this way.

“Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
– bible.com/bible/116/JHN.16.33.NLT

Whether you do anything or not, challenges, setbacks, and opposition will come your way. That’s normal. Just because you decided to pray won’t remove challenges. Just because you decided to take on a thirty-thousand-foot prayer doesn’t mean adversity is withheld from you. Know that trouble is coming. However, you can choose to go through trouble like normal people outside of Christ or you can become uncommon and go through it in Him. In either case, life is going to throw you some blows. What will you do “when life comes at you fast?”

You Get to Overcome Adversities
The earth’s default setting is to place stuff in your path. We call this adversity. Normal people fold when it comes, but the uncommon overcomes it. Which are you? Which will you be?

I need to take a second and talk to you about another hater who is unlike any other hater you’ve encountered that might get in the way of your thirty-thousand-foot prayer.

“Satan replied to the LORD, “Skin for skin! A man will give up everything he has to save his life. But reach out and take away his health, and he will surely curse you to your face!””
– bible.com/bible/116/JOB.2.4-5.NLT

Job was extremely uncommon, he was wealthy and he was a man of great integrity. Don’t miss this, he wasn’t average, nor was he normal. He was uncommon. Even though he was successful, it didn’t exclude him from oppositions, setbacks, or trials. In fact even Satan himself, wanted a piece of Job. Satan became Job’s hater.

I bring all this up to influence your thinking towards reasons you might want to cuss at God. When life throws its blows is enough for the average person to cuss God. But what about when Satan attacks? Talk about a reason to go at God. What would you do?

You Will Not Talk Like A Foolish Person
I’m convinced that the history of Job is provided to us to show us why having a normal attitude towards the adversity life throws at us is not the best option.

“But Job replied, “You talk like a foolish woman. Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?” So in all this, Job said nothing wrong.”
– bible.com/bible/116/JOB.2.10.NLT

In praying your thirty-thousand-foot prayer, you have to know what to do when you have a thirty-thousand-foot setback. You need to know what to do when you face a thirty-thousand-foot wall or opposition. Job certainly had overwhelming opposition, yet his attitude was in check and he didn’t waver. That means you have to have your attitude in check when you pray a thirty-thousand-foot prayer. You do not allow any foolish talk to come from your lips. You can’t take the chance of having your family or your friends talk you out of what you know and what you’re after. Job had every normal reason to, yet he didn’t. He decided to do what wasn’t ordinary in exchange for extraordinary results.

“when troubles of any kind come your way [when life comes at you fast], consider it an opportunity for great joy.”
– bible.com/116/jas.1.2.nlt

It’s time you realized that if trouble comes it brings an opportunity. Your trouble represents your opportunity to become extraordinary. Isn’t that good news? Opportunity by way of adversity is coming at you fast.

Question: What adversity are you facing and what goal is it threatening?

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