It's Only Temporary! Written by Creflo A. Dollar

It's Only Temporary!
Written by Creflo A. Dollar

Articles - Victory

The ultimate weapon against trouble is the knowledge that trouble is only temporary. No matter what the devil brings against us, it is subject to change!

The apostle Paul had more trouble during his ministry than most of us can even imagine. But Paul was not troubled by his trouble, because he knew the trouble was only temporary. And he knew he had a shield against trouble, which would never fail him-the Word of God.

Let's see how Paul troubled his trouble, starting with verse eight of 2 Corinthians 4:

We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
(2 Cor. 4:8-10)

Now, we know in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.... And the Word was made flesh... (John 1:1,14). Therefore, instead of using "Jesus," now I'm going to use "the Word of God."

Let me read verses 10 and 11 this way, so you can see what he's saying. "Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of [the Word of God] might be made manifest in our bodies.

"For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of [the Word of God] might be made manifest in our mortal flesh."

Paul continues in verse 16: "For which cause we faint not...."

What cause? The life that's in the Word. In other words, "for which cause we don't faint, give up, cave in and quit."

...But though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day (2 Cor. 4:16).

Trouble in my way? That's all right, my inward man is being renewed day by day. When I got up this morning, I had a renewed inward man. Tomorrow I'll have a renewed inward man. The next day I'll have a renewed inward man. The day that I don't renew my inward man is the day that I'll be susceptible to the trouble in this world.

But look at Paul's attitude towards affliction: "For our light affliction... (2 Cor. 4:17).

Look what Paul called light affliction. He calls a shipwreck light affliction. Being thrown in jail light affliction. Being whipped with a whip a light affliction. "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment..." (2 Cor. 4:17).

Only Temporary
How long was this moment? It doesn't matter. No matter how long it was, Paul says it was only temporary.

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;

While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
(2 Cor. 4:17-18)

Things which are seen means things comprehended with our physical senses, things which can be picked up by our sensory mechanisms. And these things are what? They're temporal! They're so temporal. They're temporary.

In the Past
How many of you had a problem five years ago? Have you still got it? The thing is gone, isn't it?

How many of you have ever been depressed? Are you depressed now? The thing changed, didn't it? It's subject to change.

How many of you have been broke before? Changed, didn't it? Whatever you are going through, whatever you have been through, it is subject to change! It won't last always!

That's why you ought to laugh at the devil! Whatever he's trying to do to you right now, you need to just tell him, "This is just temporary, boy." You need to remind the devil, "Hey, you do know this is going to change, don't you, ol' boy?"

Subject to Change!
Somebody says, "I've got sickness on my body!" Don't get upset! It's just a temporary thing! This, too, must pass! Do you understand? If everything else in your past is in your past, then this is going to go where all of that stuff is-in your past!

Why? It is subject to change!

Somebody says, "Well, you know, I've got problems in my marriage!" Subject to change! "My wife nags!" Subject to change! "My husband's lazy!" Subject to change! "I don't have a job." Subject to change!

"I'm not making enough money!" Subject to change! "I don't feel good." Subject to change! "I just don't know." Subject to change! Subject to change!

I don't care what it is - it's subject to change! It's subject to change!

"I don't know what the Lord put me on this earth for." Stay in the Word. The situation is subject to change. "Doesn't seem like God answers my prayers." Subject to change. You're going around letting a temporary something affect you for half your life. Subject to change. Oh, my goodness, subject to change. Subject to change.

Those Eternal Things
But those eternal things in the Word of God are not temporary; they're eternal. And eternal things will affect temporary things.

What determines whether a thing is temporary? If it's not absolute Bible truth. It can be a fact; then it is temporary, but if it's not Bible truth, it can be changed.

Do you want an example? The doctor says you've got cancer. But because that isn't what the Word says, that isn't the truth. Therefore, you say, "All right, God, I'm going to get the truth. By His stripes I'm healed." That truth changes a fact! So that makes cancer temporary. So why are you afraid of it? It won't be there but a little while anyway.

Don't let cancer convince you that it's powerful, and don't put confidence in its ability because it's just temporary. So if some of you are suffering from sickness and disease, remember it's temporary! It has to go, and you don't have to go with it.

No matter what you're going through, it's temporary. It's only for a moment. Praise the Lord!

Be Not Troubled
Child of God, although trouble comes, it doesn't have to overcome. You don't have to be troubled by trouble. You can trouble your trouble with the Word of God. As a born-again child of God, as an heir of soteria, you aren't of the system of this world.

Therefore, you don't have to operate according to the system of this world. You can have peace because you can operate according to the system of God's Word!

Remember our Savior's powerful words:

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
(John 16:33)

Source: How to Trouble Your Trouble by Creflo A. Dollar Jr.
Excerpt permission granted by Creflo Dollar Ministries

www.CFaith.com