Brethren, let’s congratulate one another for the Grace to witness the last Sunday in January 2025.
In a couple of days, it would be the end of January and 2025 would be 11 months to go. That’s stating the obvious but we shouldn’t take life for granted. Some that shouted Happy New Year as you did are now six feet below either because their times to return to God or some wicked people have cut their lives short.
Whatever situation you find yourself, give thanks to God. He is the giver of life and it has pleased him to keep you alive.
Today, we’ll discuss, Stubborn challenges. What do we call stubborn challenges and why?
If we go by the definition of stubborn, it refers to a situation that is difficult to move or remove.
When a Christian refers to a challenge as stubborn, it means that the person has done everything humanly possible without any solution.
If a couple have been married for years, undergoing all sorts of medical tests and treatment, with no child to show for it let alone conception, the couple would likely give up.
Others may resort to prayers, moving from one church to another without any positive result.
Stubborn challenges could lead to frustration. It is often a test of one’s faith. Stubborn challenges
If not well handled may cause one to derail emotionally or even spiritually.
Inability to handle stubborn challenges have led some to the witchcraft coven, yet, the problem would remain unresolved.
As a Christian, you must never allow stubborn challenges, to overcome you. Rather, you need to violently attack it spiritually and see it give way.
Let’s consider the story of two women, Sarah and Rachel that went through stubborn challenges.
The first is Sarah. The Bible describes her as a beautiful woman such that Abraham had to lie that she was his sister. Twice he lied to save his own life because he knew that other men would want to have her.
Genesis 12 vs. 11-13 (KJV): And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou are a fair woman to look upon:
Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me but they will save thee alive.
Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee”.
However, despite her beauty, she had a challenge.
Genesis 11 vs. 30: “ But Sarai was barren; she had no child”.
Abraham was a righteous man that walked with God and lived his life in accordance with the word of God. James 2 vs. 23 said of Abraham: “ And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God”.
This simply tells us that Abraham was a man that prayed regularly yet his wife was barren.
At a point a frustrated Sarah called on her husband, to go into her maid, and that was the beginning of insubordination, jealousy and even hatred in a hom
Genesis 16 vs. 4: “ And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes”.
Sarah got to the point of frustration because she had concluded that it would never be possible for her to have a child.
In the case of Rachael, she got to the point of frustration and confronted her husband, Jacob.
Genesis 30 vs. 1 ( NIV): “ When Rachael saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister. So she said to Jacob, “ Give me children , or I’ll die”.
Verse 2 tells of Jacob’s reply: “ Jacob became angry with her and said, “ Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children”?
Rachel turned to man instead of God and she was disappointed. Besides, as Jacob’s favourite wife, she failed to realize that if Jacob had his way, she alone would be the mother of all his children.
In both cases, we can see that frustration leads to jealousy, hatred and unnecessary squabbles.
The good thing is that the two women eventually had children when God intervened. They both became mothers at God’s own time and they were gifted with special children.
What these two women passed through is quite similar to what many people are going through today.
Often times we turn to human beings for solutions and when medical science fails, we begin to turn to God.
Thank God for his mercy that endureth forever.
If God should act like human beings, many would never overcome challenges of life.
When we are confronted with stubborn challenges like delay in childbearing, delay in getting married, financial stagnation, sickness or any other challenge, the way to overcome is to become prayerfully violent.
To be prayerfully violent is to pray at all times and to fast if the medical condition of the person permits.
Our Lord Jesus told us how to deal with stubborn challenges when his disciples could not cast out lunacy in the life of a young boy.
The disciples asked the LORD why they couldn’t cast out the demon and set the boy that was being tormented by the devil free.
The reply of Jesus is found in Matthew 17 vs. 20&21 ( KJV) : “And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall be removed; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting”.
Jesus mentioned, Faith, Prayer and Fasting as the keys to overcome stubborn challenges.
Sarah lost faith,. That was why she told her husband to go into her maid. She showed lack of faith again when the Lord visited her and Abraham and told them they would have a son.
Genesis 18 vs. 10-12: “ And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.
Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.
Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?
Beloved, overcoming a challenge is not a tea party; it is a spiritual war that can only be won with the Lord of one’s side.
For the Lord to be on your side, you too must be on the LORD’s side. You must be prepared to give up something to take something.
Perhaps this is one of the reasons, many Pastors direct their members to go on fasting and prayer at the beginning of the year.
They are simply telling us to prepare to overcome a stubborn challenge.
If you prayed, fasted, obeyed God, offered Praises and gave thanks in 2024 and the challenge remains, then you must realize that you are dealing with a stubborn challenge and the way to overcome is not to give up.
To overcome, one must be determined to subdue the flesh with prayer and fasting. If the challenge remains, you cannot afford to relax in prayer.
The more you pray, the more you attack the challenge with the backing of the Holy Spirit and before you realize it, when you least expected, the testimony would manifest.
By the Grace of God as you put in more efforts in prayer and fasting, that stubborn challenge would soon become a testimony in Jesus name.
Remember Jesus reigns over all challenges.
No challenge started with you and none would end with you but you can prayerfully terminate that challenge in Jesus name.
Jesus is LORD!
