Overcoming Life’S Challenges: Fourteen Keys to Thriving During Difficult Times

By N. George Utuk PhD

In todays world, innumerable books, articles, and websites give advice on how to cope with lifes situations. But it is how we think about our faith, family, and goals that remains at the heart of our desire to change. If we want ultimate victory, peace, and joy, then the solution is simple: we need to turn our minds to the Lord.

A unique self-help guide, Overcoming Lifes Challenges shares scriptural principles that, if implemented properly, give you powerful tools for dealing with difficult times and circumstances. Through personal testimonies and biblical examples, Dr. N. George Utuk illustrates fourteen key concepts to developing right thinking during times of severe trials.

Dr. Utuk shares how to change thought patterns by focusing on God and developing a personal relationship with Him. Discover how to maximize your faith, become your own cheerleader, thrive in the midst of despair, and trust in God to keep you anchored to Him. In addition, you can learn how to live in joyful hope. But above all, you can decide that quitting is never an option.

Sure to give strength and hope for whatever journey awaits you, Overcoming Lifes Challenges reveals the triumph we can find within the arms of the Lord.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: May 15, 2012
• ISBN: 9781475906981

N. George Utuk PhD

N. George Utuk, PhD, is the founder of the Word of Faith Ministries, Inc., and pastor of Abundant Life Word Fellowship in Eatonton, Georgia. He has published several books and has been a motivational speaker for forty years. Dr. Utuk and his wife, Enobong, have been married for thirty-six years. They have a daughter, Ibiangake.

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What People Are Saying

about This Book

Overcoming Life’s Challenges is one of the best self-help books I have ever read. I really enjoyed reading the manuscript, and it definitely inspired and renewed my hope and faith. The book is very well written and easy to read. I strongly recommend it as a great study tool for everyone, particularly anyone facing any challenge now.

—Idopise Umana, MD

Braselton Clinic

North East Georgia Physician Group

How do we think about our circumstances, our faith, our families, and our missions in a way that frames our thought lives for ultimate victory, peace, and joy? Dr. N. George Utuk, my good friend and spiritual mentor of twenty years, once again shows us the way. With his inspired wit and spiritual wisdom, Dr. Utuk skillfully illustrates the keys to developing right thinking. Thank you, Dr. Utuk, for being obedient to God’s calling on your life and sharing with us the revelation and wisdom you have gleaned from the study and practice of living in the abundance of God’s truth.

—Harry L. Wingate, MD, FACEP

President, Temple Keeper Plan LLC

www.TempleKeeperPlan.com

Overcoming Life’s Challenges is not only best-seller material; it also contains the answers you’ve been searching for. Again the Lord has used Dr. Utuk to knock the ball out of the park … This life-transforming book will not only enlighten you; it will set you straight. By far, this is the best self-help inspirational book I have read. What an awesome tool for a lost and hurting world! I thank God for this book and am looking forward to blessing many with it.

—Dennis J. Chamberlain, CEO

Stair South, Inc.

Chamberlain Development Group, Inc.

This book is not only filled with wisdom, knowledge, and insight, but I believe that it is the key that will unlock your victory in any life situation that you may face. Overcoming Life’s Challenges is the book that will help you resurrect the dreams you thought were dead. It will help you recapture the vision that you thought had faded away. Thank you, Dr. Utuk, for allowing God to use your writing as a tool to help others overcome challenging times in their lives.

—Annya Patterson

The Anointed Praise Dance Team, ALWF

Overcoming Life’s Challenges

Fourteen Keys to Thriving

During Difficult Times

N. George Utuk, Ph.D.

iUniverse, Inc.

Bloomington

Overcoming Life’s Challenges

Fourteen Keys to Thriving During Difficult Times

Copyright © 2012 by N. George Utuk, PhD

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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ISBN: 978-1-4759-0695-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4759-0696-7 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4759-0698-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012906352

iUniverse rev. date: 05/09/2012

Contents

What People Are Saying

about This Book

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgments

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

About the Author

Bibliography

We Would Like to Hear from You

Also by Dr. N. George Utuk

You Can Do the Impossible

You Can Stage a Comeback

Finding Your Unique Pathway

The Temple Keeper’s Plan (with Harry L. Wingate, MD)

To my wife, Enobong, and my daughter, Ibiangake,

for their moral support; and to all my readers

who encouraged me to write this book

Foreword

There are innumerable books, articles, and websites that tell us the whats and the whys of the changes we need to make in our lives. We read books that tell us that we need to eat less, exercise more, diligently study the Bible, participate in the assembly of fellow believers—and the list goes on and on. But how can we bring about these changes? That is the key question. How do we effect real change that lasts? How do we think about our circumstances, our faith, our families, our missions in a way that frames our thought lives for ultimate victory, peace, and joy? Dr. N. George Utuk, my good friend and spiritual mentor of twenty years, once again shows us the way.

With his inspired wit and spiritual wisdom, Dr. Utuk skillfully illustrates the keys to developing right thinking. Using personal testimonies, biblical examples, and stories from others, he takes his readers on a compelling behind-the-scenes journey into the lives and challenges of great men and women of faith. As a reader you will learn about how these men and women perceived, confronted, and overcame the obstacles and the barriers they ran into in life. You will discover how their unyielding faith in God, the Creator of our universe, carried them through when there seemed to be no natural way to victory.

The good news is that you do not have to be a great man or woman of faith to access the favor and blessing of this same God. You simply need to know how.

As an emergency room physician and family physician for over twenty years, I have been blessed to encounter over a hundred thousand lives. God has blessed me with the opportunity and ability to learn from and share with my patients about life’s challenges. From my perspective, having had the opportunity to talk with and to know so many people, the truth of God’s word is, without any question, the most powerful transformative force available to humankind to effect change.

As a physician and a committed Christian, I can say without hesitation and with complete confidence that a genuine relationship with your God, the Creator, will do more to overcome anxiety, depression, hopelessness, helplessness, diabetes, substance abuse, and all the lifestyle plagues of our modern society than any expensive pill, any painful shot, any invasive procedure that medicine has to offer.

The question, then, is, How do I develop that genuine relationship? The answer to this question will be found in the keys you will discover in Overcoming Life’s Challenges. The fourteen keys in this book will unlock the power of faith that will give you victory, joy, peace, and success in life.

I know that you will be blessed by this work as much as I have been. Thank you, Dr. Utuk, for being obedient to God’s calling on your life and sharing with us the revelation and wisdom you have gleaned from the study and practice of living in the abundance of God’s truth. Now go forth and read the book; be blessed.

Harry L. Wingate, MD, FACEP

President, Temple Keeper Plan LLC

www.TempleKeeperPlan.com

Preface

Born in Nigeria, I came to a personal knowledge of Jesus as Savior on my way to church one day in 1969. I was in eleventh grade in high school at the time. After many years of fighting, I finally surrendered and asked Jesus to come into and take total control of my life.

As soon as I made Jesus my Lord, a new peace came into my heart, and God placed a passion in my heart to share His word with people. I immediately started traveling to different high schools in Nigeria, sharing my newfound faith with high school students across the country. After graduating from high school, I started traveling to different cities and villages in Nigeria to share my faith in churches, at outdoor meetings, and with individuals on the streets who would listen. That journey has taken me to Europe, South America, the Middle East, and the United States.

In 1975, the testimony of my conversion was published in Today’s Challenge, a Christian magazine that circulates millions of copies every month throughout the African continent. I have been privileged to travel extensively throughout the United States preaching the Gospel. For six years, I was the president of the Atlanta Chapter of the African Christian Fellowship before moving to central Georgia. In 1990, I resigned my teaching job and with my wife founded The Word of Faith Ministries, a nonprofit religious organization whose mission is the propagation of God’s word through church planting, pulpit ministry, and book and magazine publications. For seventeen years, I have been the pastor of the Abundant Life Word Fellowship, a growing contemporary Christian church here in Eatonton, Georgia, which my wife and I pioneered in 1994.

I received a diploma in theological studies from South Wales Bible College in the United Kingdom in 1976. In 1978, I obtained a bachelor of arts degree in religion and philosophy from Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas, followed by a master’s degree in political science from Wichita State University in 1981, and a PhD in political science from Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1996.

For as long as long as I can remember, reading and writing have been my passions. But never did I dream as I was growing up that my writings would make the impact on people’s lives that they have. I am truly humbled and at the same time grateful to God for the response that I have received from my readers, particularly in recent years. I am always amazed when we receive phone calls, letters, or e-mails and when people stop at our office just to let me know how much my books have blessed them. That is why I dedicate this book to my family members and to the readers who have encouraged me to keep writing.

The concept of Overcoming Life’s Challenges came as a result of observing my church members, our ministry partners, and others having to deal with so many challenges in all areas of life. As I pondered over how to help these people, the Lord placed on my heart the need to write a book that will help them deal with the situations they are wrestling with.

In Overcoming Life’s Challenges, I have shared some scriptural principles supported by personal experiences and those of others. These principles, I believe, will be powerful tools for dealing with difficult times and circumstances. The principles expounded in this book, I believe, will enable people to know what to do during prolonged seasons of severe trials in their lives. We all wish that life was without any challenges. But the truth is that for as long as we live here on earth, we will have to deal with one challenge or another.

What I have discovered is that it is never the issues that people face that destroy them. In fact, dealing with issues can be a blessing, as it can help us develop life skills that will make us wiser people. The problem for many people is that they lack the proper tools to deal with the situations they encounter. It is my earnest prayer that as you read this book it will become a tool that God will use to bring answers to your specific situation.

Also, in Overcoming Life’s Challenges, you will discover that God has a plan for your life that cannot be changed by the circumstances you face. You will find out that He always remembers you, regardless of how long it takes for His plan to be fulfilled.

Each day of your life is a gift from God, and you will discover how to maximize its use. You will also learn how to thrive and not just survive when faced with seasons of life’s challenges.

Faith is a powerful spiritual force that will enable you to deal with fear. You will find out in this book how you can use your faith to overcome fears in every challenging circumstance.

Also in this book you will learn how to make your words work for you instead of against you and how to train your mind to work for you instead of against you. You will discover that the God of the Bible is the God of completion and restoration. He finishes what He starts.

Hope in God is the life anchor that keeps your mind and emotions from drifting into the sea of despair. It is what keeps your will from snapping when you go through severe trials. As you read this book, you will learn what it means to live in joyful hope instead of living in a pit of despair. You will discover that our God always remains faithful even when we are faithless.

Quite often we look for others to cheer us up and encourage us when we go through seasons of trial. In this book, you will learn how to become your own cheerleader.

Finally, as you will discover, quitting is not an option if you desire to successfully overcome any difficult situation.

So go ahead and enjoy yourself as you take in the information in this book. Do not just read it once. Go back and visit the principles as many times as you need to. Embrace them as a part of your life. By doing so, you will discover that you can thrive in the middle of difficult circumstances instead of just surviving.

Acknowledgments

In putting together a project of this nature, many people are involved, and I am very grateful to them. It is almost impossible to mention all the people involved in making this project a reality. However, I want everyone who helped in any way to know that I am sincerely grateful for the help.

First, I give thanks to God, who enabled me to undertake and finish this project.

I also want to acknowledge my wife and ministry partner, Enobong Utuk, for the moral support and encouragement she gave me when I was working on this project. Ibiangake Nseobong Utuk, my daughter, read and edited the manuscript. Ibiangake, I am grateful for the work you put into the project. Imayak Umoh, my nephew, and Annya Patterson, my secretary, read and corrected the manuscript and offered some useful suggestions for which I am also grateful.

I am grateful to Dr. Idopise Umana and my friend Dr. Tripp Wingate, who wrote the forewords to this book. At the last minute, Donna Hinson was willing to make a sacrifice to do the final editing of the material for me. Donna, I am very grateful for your help.

Finally, I want to acknowledge and thank all the members of the Abundant Life Word Fellowship, my readers, and the partners of The Word of Faith Ministries, Inc. for encouraging me to write this book.

Chapter One

God Has a Plan for You

For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

—Jeremiah 29:11

God Has Plans

He was born to Christian parents. When his mother was pregnant with him, she went to church to pray. While there, she had a vision. In it, a beam shone through the stained-glass window of the church directly toward her belly. Then she heard melodious music coming from the light. It transcended any music she had heard on earth. A voice emanating from the beam announced that the music was sounds from heaven that God was releasing into the child in the womb. When the child grew up, he would release the music to be a blessing, bringing healing and joy to many.

In the fifth grade, the young boy began taking music lessons. When his parents relocated to another state, Paul (not his real name) began to study trumpet at the junior high school he attended and also at a nearby private school. While in high school, he played competitively and won several music awards, including the Amsterdam World Musical Award. As a result, upon graduation, he was offered several music scholarships.

In his sophomore year in college, Paul released his first album. In his senior year, he entered a national television talent search and won. Shortly afterward, Paul became nationally renowned while touring and recording with major artists. Unfortunately, during this time, he became heavily involved with drug use. At some point, it seemed, the vision that God had given his mother had dissipated into the clouds. But this was not to be, because his parents and many others were praying for Paul.

When all hope of serving the Lord with his musical talent appeared to have been lost, God stepped in and instituted His plan for this young man. On Christmas day of 1977, my friend and his wife decided to go to church for the first time in many years. According to him, they were both filled with a new sense of dedication to their spiritual life while the service was going on. In that service, Paul surrendered his life to the Lord and became a Christian. Consequently, he was immediately delivered from his drug use and dedicated his musical gifts to promoting his newfound faith. What the enemy had meant for evil, God turned to good.

After becoming a Christian and dedicating his life and musical talent to God, Paul was nominated and won such prestigious music awards as the Grammy for best gospel performer, the Christian Music Association Award for best musician, the Canadian Christian Music Award of the Year and the Gospel Music Association Dove Award for best instrumental album. In addition, Paul has been nominated for two additional Grammys for best pop album and best gospel Christian/pop album. Also, since the dedication of his music career to promoting the cause of Christ, Paul has performed for several presidents of the United States.

Satan Only Departs for a Season

The Bible teaches us not to be ignorant of the tactics of the enemy, and one of the tactics he uses to destroy God’s people is to step back, regroup, and return at an opportune time after a failed attempt to bring them down. That was what he did with my friend Paul. Satan had tried at an early age to destroy him with drugs. He failed, though, when the young man gave his life to the Lord and dedicated his music to furthering the cause of Christ.

Unfortunately, when Paul was at the peak of his musical career, the enemy sought again to destroy him and his witness. Paul and his wife were falsely accused and indicted for tax fraud. While his wife was later cleared of all the charges brought against her, Paul was sentenced to one year in a federal penitentiary.

But while in prison, like Joseph in the Bible, he poured his life and gift into serving the Lord by ministering to the inmates and the officials instead of becoming bitter because of his situation. As a result of his dedication while incarcerated, he became so influential in the prison that when he left, the prison officials testified that the place would never be the same again. This was because of the influence of Paul on the other inmates and on the institution as a whole. But that was not all that God intended to accomplish out of that situation. Just a month ago as I was writing this book, after the case had been in court for three years, Paul was cleared of all wrongdoing by a federal judge.

Psalm 46:10 says, Be still and know that I am God, I shall be exalted over the heathens, I will be exalted in the earth. Our problem as human beings is that we often give up on our situations before God is through with us. Many times, believers in Christ give up before the verdict comes in. Thank God that Paul never gave up.

Although the case was not retried in criminal court, it did go to civil court. After three years before a US Tax Court, the judge ruled in Paul’s favor, stating that he had done nothing illegal. The initial lawsuit was based on the assumption that a minister could not receive parsonage allowance for two homes, which Paul did. But in his case, he used the two homes exclusively as homes, not for commercial purposes. Therefore, he did not break any law by claiming the two homes as residences on his income tax returns. The judge ruled that this was not illegal since he had regularly used the two homes as residences, thus clearing Paul of all wrongdoing and thereby extending victory to thousands of ministers all over the United States. Exactly what Paul’s detractors meant for bad, God turned to good so that many would be blessed (Genesis 50:20).

Obviously, many of you reading this book may find it difficult to identify with the challenge of faith that my friend experienced, first because you are not a minister and secondly because you may not have multiple houses. These facts notwithstanding, I believe that we all can identify with the fact that regardless of the nature of the challenge you’re now facing, God can step into the situation and bring something good out of it. When all the winds blow away, not only will you be vindicated, but God is going to use the outcome of your trial to bless many others.

Your Dreams Will Live Again

So what is the point you are trying to make, Pastor George? What are you trying to accomplish by telling your friend’s story? I am glad you asked. My first point is that just because you are a Christian does not mean that you are exempted from attacks by the enemy, Satan. In fact, if you have dedicated yourself and your career to the Lord and His service, you should expect challenges from the enemy. But the good news is that it is never over until God says it’s over. And when God says