Have You Ever?: How to Overcome Trials & Tribulations for Young Girls and Women

By Kristy N. Caston

THE ABUNDANT LIFE...

HOW DO I ATTAIN IT? 

Taking the limits off of God is essential to living a limitless, fulfilling life! Surrendering to Him leads the way to having the right perspective in every moment of your life. It alleviates the room of being disappointed. 

There are many questions to be ask

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trilogy Christian Publishing
• Release date: Jun 30, 2023
• ISBN: 9798887386942

Kristy N. Caston

Kristy N. Caston was raised in the church. Since childhood, she has had a passion for writing. Kristy is in continual pursuit of inspiring the masses. She and her two children live in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, area.Prior to her start in writing books, Kristy obtained a Master of Business Administration in Accounting from Keller Graduate School of Management.

Book preview

979-8-88738-693-5_Cover.jpg

How to Overcome

Trials & Tribulations

for Young Girls and Women

Kristy N. Caston

Have You Ever…: How to Overcome Trials & Tribulations for Young Girls and Women

Trilogy Christian Publishers

A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Trinity Broadcasting Network

2442 Michelle Drive, Tustin, CA 92780

Copyright © 2023 by Kristy N. Caston

Scripture quotations marked AMPC are taken from the Amplified Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked MEV are taken from the Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.TM 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.TM Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without written permission from the author. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.

Rights Department, 2442 Michelle Drive, Tustin, CA 92780.

Trilogy Christian Publishing/TBN and colophon are trademarks of Trinity Broadcasting Network.

Cover design by: Kelly Stewart

For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Trilogy Christian Publishing.

Trilogy Disclaimer: The views and content expressed in this book are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect the views and doctrine of Trilogy Christian Publishing or the Trinity Broadcasting Network.

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

ISBN: 979-8-88738-693-5

E-ISBN: 979-8-88738-694-2

Acknowledgments

First and foremost, none of this would be possible if it wasn’t for the Lord. I am nothing without my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Under His authority, I also want to honor, in loving memory, my parents Nathaniel and Mae Bell (Jones) Caston. Their relationship with Christ, their aspirations, and resilience…are among many reasons for my gratitude to the Lord for assigning my children and me to them. This is for you, a legacy to continue.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Chapter 1:

Have You Ever Wondered,

Chapter 2:

Have You Ever Wondered,

Chapter 3:

Have You Ever Wondered

Chapter 4:

Have You Ever Wondered,

Chapter 5:

Have You Ever Thought about the Effects of Your Childhood?

Chapter 6:

Have You Ever Asked Yourself,

Chapter 7:

Have You Ever Fallen onto the Path of Peer Pressure?

Chapter 8:

Have You Ever Felt Alone?

Chapter 9:

Have You Ever Prayed for a Boyfriend?

Chapter 10:

Have You Ever Paid Attention to What Your Educators

Are Saying or Have Said to You about You

Chapter 11:

Have You Ever Wondered,

Chapter 12:

Have You Ever Wondered,

Chapter 13:

Have You Ever Wondered,

Chapter 14:

Have You Ever Wondered If the Next Steps That You Took

Were the Best Steps to Take?

Chapter 15:

Have You Ever Wondered,

Chapter 16:

Have You Ever Wondered,

Chapter 17:

Have You Ever Been Betrayed, and Wonder,

Chapter 18:

Have You Ever Had to Start Over?

Chapter 19:

Have You Ever Longed to Belong?

Chapter 20:

Have You Ever Sensed Your Last Time Seeing Someone?

Chapter 21:

Have You Ever Wished That You Could Rewind the Hands

of Time?

Chapter 22:

Have You Ever Thought That You Were in God’s Will to

Learn That You Were Not?

Chapter 23:

Have You Ever Loved Someone, But the Love Was

Not Reciprocated?

Chapter 24:

Have You Ever Wondered What Your Life Would Be like

If Your Ancestors Were Not Enslaved? Or Have You Ever

Wondered What Your Life Would Be like If Slavery in

America Had Never Occurred?

Chapter 25:

Have You Ever Wondered,

Chapter 26:

Have You Ever Wondered,

Chapter 27:

Have You Ever Asked Yourself,

Chapter 28:

Have You Ever Wished for a Better Life?

Chapter 29:

Have You Ever Wondered,

Chapter 30:

Have You Ever Wondered,

Bibliography

Preface

There’s never a dull moment with God! In the lonely of loneliest moments, you are not alone. God is with you. His omnipresence, omnipotence, and everlasting love are what make life worth living. No matter what you are going through, good and bad times, He’s there. If you acknowledge God in every moment of life, you can learn to appreciate each one (even the trials and tribulations). Trials and tribulations will come, but they come to make us strong.

If you’re going through an exciting time in your life, this book is for you. If you’re going through a trying time in your life, this book is for you. Whether you’re saved or unsaved, this book is for you. Yes, I said it! If you’re saved, praise God, yet there are still areas in your life that you need to be set free from. We all have something to be set free or delivered from. The objective of this book is to set the captives free and maintain freedom throughout any moment of life.

Chapter 1:

Have You Ever Wondered,

What Will Happen Next [Feelings of Uncertainty]?

In this life, there will be trials, tribulations, triumphs, ups, and downs. No one knows what the future holds. Every once in a while, God will provide glimpses or snapshots of what is to come. However, He does not provide details because you would not need faith in Him if He did. Life is full of uncertainties, which is why it is so important to seek God for His discernment, guidance, and wisdom. Along this life’s journey, you cannot make it without His guidance if you intend to live right. Even those who do not believe or trust in God are provided with His guidance in some form or fashion, whether they realize it or not. God sends His sunshine and rain on the just and unjust (Matthew 5:45).

Yet, all the more, those of us who are believers are knowingly successfully making it with Him in our lives. You may not be where you want to be in life. Even if you are content with where you are in life, hopefully, you know that there is still more for you to do. Otherwise, you would not still be here on earth. For all that God has in store for you, you cannot attain without Him. Yes, trials will come. There will be moments of uncertainty. However, God wants you to know or to remember that you are more than a conqueror through Him who loves you (Romans 8:37).

Uncertainties come in many or various forms. They can range from what seems small to ambiguous. Either way, you need the Lord at all times of your life. It is in the most uncertain times when you should draw closer to God. He uses those times for you to grow closer to Him, which produces growth in general.

I started writing this book a year or so ago. However, so much has changed from the last time writing to now. Currently, this world is amid two pandemics. It started with the coronavirus, a new form of it that this world had never experienced before. It started in China, spread to Italy, to the US, and has not ended. As of the time of writing this, June 11, 2020, it’s worsened and seems to be the beginning of a worse journey ahead. It has shaken the world in ways that have never been experienced before, such as over 2 million tested positive cases, over 100 thousand deaths, famine, and hard times in many aspects, etc. And that is in the US alone. Most of the people in the US who have contracted the coronavirus are African American.

In addition to that, an African-American man named George Floyd was murdered by a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His tragic death is part of what has been happening in this country for over 400 years in different forms. At the same time, George Floyd’s death changed the world. Police brutality is just one of the many discriminations and hate crimes that occur against us African Americans on a regular basis. George Floyd being murdered by the police officer kneeling on George’s neck sparked protesting and rioting in the US. That drove many to protest in other countries as well. Many different races and ethnicities protested. Not only that but there are also police reforms initiated or in place, along with other changes occurring during this time. I am an African American living through this, and to say that this has affected my family and me would be an understatement. I believe it would only be right and make sense to mention these trying times that are going on while writing this book. We are in uncertain, trying times. Nonetheless, uncertain times are what everyone on this earth experiences. My hopeful objective with this book is to encourage others to live a life of freedom, no matter what time of life they are experiencing.

Uncertainties start from the beginning of life; from the time you are conceived, then you are born into a world of sin and uncertainties. Some may wonder, Why must life be so complicated? Well, it started with Adam and Eve. They were forbidden to eat from the tree of life but disobeyed God. That was the first account of sin and led us to this life of uncertainty. It was at that moment that we humans were unfortunately given the ability to determine the difference between good and evil (Genesis 2:15 to Genesis 3:24). Without that occurrence, there would only be good, not evil; therefore, you would not be presented with uncertainties. This life consists of right and wrong decisions, which eventually lead to a right or wrong outcome. Life can be tricky. You have to stay in close connection with the Lord in order to be in the right relationship with Him. After all, it is the opposite of what happened to Adam and Eve. In that brief moment, they were not connected to God to hear from Him and to be reminded not to listen to what the serpent was saying. Also, there are moments in life that you encounter that did not result from a right or wrong decision. Those moments of life come about as extenuating circumstances. However, you are to always remember that God had and will always have His reasons for it all. What we, as humans, all have in common is that life consists of uncertainties. With faith in God, you can be certain that He is with us along life’s journey. Even the toughest of times will work out for your good (Romans 8:28).

Chapter 2:

Have You Ever Wondered,

Why Me?

Birth is not a one-time event. Every day, you are evolving. Some of us are evolving for the better, and some of us are evolving for the worse. From the day that you are conceived, you touch others’ lives. The parents become aware or informed of the pregnancy that has occurred. Most parents are accepting of the news, especially the mothers and fathers who have planned the pregnancy. Immediately the bonding starts between a mother and child. If the father is present and participating in the bonding during the pregnancy, both the mother and father are the first to be touched by that new human’s life. The parents prepare for the birth. The family and friends of the parents are preparing for the addition to their lives as well. Not only that but the doctors and nurses are assisting with the preparation of the new beginning for the parents and family (i.e., siblings if children are already in the family). The evolution has already begun for the baby, parents, medical staff, stores where baby attire and care are bought from, etc. That is the repetition for all new human beings. Some people do not realize the lives that they have touched from the very beginning of their life. Once birth occurs, the actuality of a new life is manifested.

There is another form of birth, which is the most important birth because you are initially born into a world of sin as a sinner. However, once you have received Jesus Christ in your heart, you are born again (John 3:3; John 3:16). That is the start of the best way to live. It is our security of eternal life. When we leave earth, this land that God blessed us to live on, it will not be the end of us. Imagine that! Yes, that is what God’s only Son, Him in human form, Jesus Christ, came to earth to fulfill. He saved us from our sins. If it had not been for God’s ultimate sacrifice of His Son, you would not be reading this book.

You would not be alive. You would not have the promise of eternal life. You have many upon many reasons to thank God. Rebirth by way of Him is one of the top reasons. So, how do you become born again or saved? According to Romans 10:9–10 (NLT), If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. It would behoove me not to mention the act of faith to follow, giving your life to Christ, which is baptism (Matthew 3:15–17; Matthew 28:19–20). Being a member and actively involved with a church that is doctrinally based on the Word of God is a necessity as well (Romans 12:4–5).

Why is it important to know that there is another birth other than the human one? It is because when you know who you belong to, then you’ll know who you are. Rebirth or salvation means that you have given your life to Christ. Salvation is a one-time decision and occurrence. Receiving Christ into your heart transforms you on a daily basis, which is called sanctification. Sanctification is an ongoing lifelong occurrence (Romans 6:11). If it were not for our Father God, His Son Jesus Christ, and His Holy Spirit, sanctification would not exist. Therefore, you have to be in connection with Him in order to grow in His holiness. One of the great benefits of being a Christian is becoming more like the image of God. We were created in His image, yet born into a world of sin. Life consists of many ups and downs. God has His way of keeping us balanced. In the trials and tribulations of life, Christ is the anchor to hold us up. In the triumphs of life, Christ’s glory is the weight we need to keep us humble and righteous. So, you see, salvation is key, which is the beginning of sanctification. Being born again is the only way to live right. So, you ask, Why me? The answer is a question to your question, Well, why not you? Jesus Christ endured all that He did to be crucified, buried, and resurrected…for your rebirth, for your salvation. Yes, He did it all just for you!

Chapter 3:

Have You Ever Wondered

Am I Living Right?

You may wonder, How does a person know if they are living right or not? In Matthew 7:13–14 (MEV), the Lord says, Enter at the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who are going through it, because small is the gate and narrow is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. That text is a guide for when needing to make a decision. There will be times in life when you have to stand alone. However, you need to know that you are never alone with God on your side. How do you ensure God is on your side? When you make decisions based on living for Him. That is the basis of living right. You see, the key is to live a life genuinely pleasing God, which leads up the pathway to heaven; that is, spending eternity with Him. On the flip side, when we make decisions that are a lot of times of the majority or popular view versus seeking God’s guidance, we take a step down the pathway to destruction. Matthew 7:13 (NLT) literally states, The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. Do you know anyone who intentionally desires to go down that path? Hopefully not. We were created by God, made in His image. Innately, we desire to do the right thing, especially when we’re saved.

Life can be tricky. Sometimes you will question yourself. What’s best is to ask and seek God for direction. There will be moments in life when you will not have much time to pray, seek, and wait for an answer from God. That is the reason why it is so important to continually remain in connection with God. His Holy Spirit will guide you in those moments of needing to make quick decisions. Some decisions seem minor but can lead to big problems. Some decisions to be made will seem major at the moment but are not as difficult as we think them to be. Balancing in all things…moderation in all things is what is best.

So, how do you know if you are living right or not? One of the many upon many reasons that we all should love the good Lord above is that He has provided us instructions to live right in this life. Reading and applying the Bible is key to being assured that you are living right. In other words, read the Word, digest it, and meditate on it. Seek God’s perspective in every part of your life, and significantly live in such a way that your life models Christ.

Chapter 4:

Have You Ever Wondered,

What about My Childhood?

The older you grow, the more you will receive insight into the reasons things went the way that they went in your childhood. As a matter of fact, your childhood is the predecessor to living right as early in life as possible. Who you were raised by and how you were raised makes a major difference at the start of your life. Was it good? Was it bad? Was it triumphant by inheritance, and you had it easy (financial wealth)? Or was it a tough-trying upbringing? Were your parents present? If they were absent, who raised you? Did they introduce you to Jesus Christ? Or did you meet our Savior later in life? Where did you live? These are just some questions to ask and ponder. Taking inventory of your life is important in moving forward in life. Not only does the Word of God provide instructions, but it also provides insight into your childhood as well. Your start in life is the predecessor to the experiences, both good and bad, that you encounter in your life. Before your conception, before your parents knew you would come into existence, God had a plan for you. He knew every bit about your life before you were born, all of your challenges and triumphs. And so, why would we not seek Him for the path that we are to follow and understand?

There’s an old saying, It starts at home, which refers to home training or upbringing. Immediately, during birth, and after, it’s important for a child to be raised by parents who are believers in Jesus Christ. He is the foundation for having an early start to life successfully, knowing how to live for Him, and being old enough to realize what life should consist of. He is our Creator (Genesis 1:26–27). Therefore, all of us were created in the image of God. We were born in a world of sin but innately desired the will of God. We just did not know it yet (during birth, childhood). Our spirits, minds, senses, etc., are not mature to know at the time, but we are innately connected