One of the coolest things about being in the Kingdom of God is that He takes the negative circumstances and great challenges of our lives and uses them to make us better people. This is an especially great truth to focus on at the beginning of a new year.

I remember when Hannah and I went into ministry. We left a small church and came to Hour of Power, which was still at the Crystal Cathedral at the time. It was a season of turmoil for my family, and it was extremely difficult for me to go online in those days because of the criticism and personal attacks we received. In fact, there was one website that was entirely dedicated to tearing me down, as well as my wife, my children, my grandparents, and others involved in the ministry. It bothered me to the core, and for awhile, it made me so angry that I wanted to quit. When I was almost to my breaking point, I remember very distinctly hearing the Holy Spirit’s voice say to me, “If you can’t handle this, you can’t handle a bigger platform.” In that moment, I came to understand that an extremely trying time was actually being used to thicken my skin and transform me into a stronger person — one who cared much less about the opinions of others. 

My friend, there are enemies in your life who will help you become the person you need to be to fulfill the call of God. Just because things get tough and you face opposition and criticism doesn’t mean that you are moving in the wrong direction. In fact, the very opposite is true. The devil will always try to destroy and tear down what Jesus is building in the world through His people and His Church. This is why I encourage you to view obstacles as opportunities and remember that any time you face judgement and slander, you have a powerful chance to grow in character and Christlikeness!