Getting Through the Difficult Times in Life: Daily Reflections

By Jewel Harper BA MPA MDiv

Represent God as holding us up through life problems and moving us along on our journey through life. The Lord’s while I was in the mud was with me and he carried my burdens, pain, past hurts and disappointments upon Himself. Meaning, the weight I felt in my soul is from the devastating blows of life experiences. The whole point of being on a journey is learning to love yourself with your imperfections because God does. God loves us all.
As a person working on transforming to a change person each day becomes a part of my walk in faith. I cannot separate my faith and life without denying, one or the other. But faith and life interfaces within me as a part of my growth and transformation.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: May 19, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664229495

Jewel Harper BA MPA MDiv

Jewel Harper, BA, MPA, M.DIV, Jewel is a graduate of University of California Berkeley; the University of Southern California; and Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena California. She continues to have a passion for those who are hurting. Most of her life she has been involved in Public Service which include the following: Big Brother and Big Sisters programs–Sacramento, Bereavement support groups (Morning Star) for nonprofit organizations, Urban ministries in South Central Los Angeles California and Nonprofit hospices and Substance abuse Organization. These are just a sample of her desire and love for others and the community. She continues to speak and teach about transformation-Change, spirituality in addiction and death and dying. Jewel is a member of Rhema Life Christian Fellowship and can be contact at the following email address: [e-mail] and my mailing address: 3001 S Hardin Blvd #110-429, McKinney, Texas 75070.

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Copyright © 2021 Jewel Harper MPA, MDiv.

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Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.®

ISBN: 978-1-6642-2948-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-2950-1 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-2949-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021906436

WestBow Press rev. date: 5/12/2021

Contents

Introduction

Transformation

Transforming into Christlikeness

Studying the Word

Having a Renewed Mind

The Word of God Helps Us Get through the Difficult Times in Life

The Word of God Is Totally Authoritative

The Word of God Will Accomplish What It Promises

Having a Servant Attitude

Learning to Be a Servant

Servant Leaders Sacrificially Seek the Highest Joy of Those They Serve

Training for Change

Being Open-Minded

Learning from Spiritual Leaders

Someone Who Believes in You

A Role Model

Promoting Spiritual Growth

Accountability

Be an Encourager

Difficult Times in Life

Establishing and Achieving Goals

Trusting Direction for Life Decisions

Benefits of Having Relationships in Your Life

A Changed Life Provides Opportunities to Give Back

Truth

Temptations

Seasons of Life

Dry Seasons

A Spiritual Dry Spell

Waiting Seasons

Busy Seasons

Tests and Trials

Spiritual Warfare

Death

Spiritual Death

Judging

Judging Others

The Tongue

Humility

Healing from Yesterday

Be Still

Solitude and Silence

Remorse

Forgiveness

Thankfulness

Loving

Teach Me to Love Unconditionally

What Is Godly Love?

No Exceptions to Love

Gift of Giving

Endurance

Bible Study

Subject Titles (Alphabetical)

Vision Board Instructions

INTRODUCTION

Getting through the Difficult Times in Life is the result of my journaling. It is through God’s love and direction that he directs my path in life and gives me purpose and mission. Many prayers and tears have been shed, loss of family and friends during the Coronavirus. This daily reflection have helped me to grow and change. God’s change me and gave me meaning and purpose for getting me through difficult times in my life. I have been able to create these daily reflections for those who want to grow, change, and develop deeper spirituality.

While the coronavirus has been a part of my isolation time, I’ve had the opportunity to add on to some of the reflections and develop them further. After my first daily reflection book, Footsteps to Christ, I continued with my journaling and developed this book, which offers a wide variety of meditation topics about real-life events that deal with difficult time. It is through the difficult times that I have been transformed into a new person.

This book is meant for those who are sixteen and older. It is for those at all stages of their spiritual development and is continuing their journey in life. A wide variety of experiences with views, concepts, and issues have been provided. I hope the topics will help everyone find what he or she needs.

Use this book as a part of your daily devotional exercise. I have included a topic index at the back of the book; you can focus your meditation on the subjects with a Bible study.

Getting through the Difficult Times in Life will inspire you as it has inspired me. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of this project. I hope this book proves useful to you and your groups in providing the strength needed to not give up and not give in to life’s struggles. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your journey today.

This book is dedicated to those who have and are currently experiencing difficult times in their lives.

To my close family and friends who are such a great inspiration – Thank you Dr. Ramona Joseph D. Min

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TRANSFORMATION

Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. (Psalm 25:4–5)

Transformation is a change in thinking, behavior, and lifestyle. At the start of my spiritual journey, I started making changes slowly. I had to let go of things that hindered my spiritual journey such as various temptations and undue attachments that tried to keep me from growing in Christ.

Transformation is all about change, growth, and development. It requires us to study the Bible. It allows the Word to be a practical application in our lives. Now that I have allowed God to enter my life, I have begun to learn what His purpose and plan is for me. I have been strengthened and transformed in having a passion for servanthood. Paul wrote that being transformed into the image of Christlikeness was a process; it takes time and is a constant struggle over temptations. One of the problems with transforming my life is learning to resist temptations and surrender to Christ.

Allowing Christ to transform me required me to allow Christ to be