doing god's will comes with challenges

I use to think that as long as I was doing what God wanted me to do, I would avoid problems. Boy, was I wrong. It is true that when we are being obedient to God we will avoid all the negative, life altering things He doesn't want us to experience. However, we will meet up with unpleasant challenges even when we're trying to obey God. Why is this?

God knows what will build our character, make us strong, and bring out Christ like behavior in us. He is pleased when we are following His will, but He sees areas in our lives that may need some fine tuning. 

Life would be so much easier for us if we can just have things go smoothly. That's the human perspective, but life wouldn't be easier avoiding challenges. Think about it. Without challenges we wouldn't learn about the power that God possesses. We wouldn't really see our need for such a God. We also wouldn't learn about ourselves, and who we should depend on. Facing difficulties, and trials teach us valuable lessons in life.

While enjoying the blessings of the Lord, answered prayer, and getting some of what we so desire from God, we could face difficulty simultaneously. There is nothing odd about this.  While God is trying to teach us much needed lessons, He also tries to adjust our thinking. For sure, the challenges will force us to stay close to God.  Often, when we are in the throws of blessings, we're so happy and glad; we may drift a little away from the Lord without noticing it. We can be so caught up with the blessings of God that we let our guard down.  Challenges during times of blessing will certainly keep us grounded  and keep us spiritually on guard.

So, if you experience  trials in the midst of great moments of blessing,  just simply hold on to God, ask Him for His wisdom and guidance, and  ask God to help you to see what He's trying to show you. He is faithful, He will open your eyes to the important stuff that is needed at that time in your life.  He will teach you, and reveal knowledge and understanding that only comes with such experiences. He will test your heart as well, to show you what lies within. 

Remember, Job was walking in obedience to God and was greatly blessed, and look at the ways his life was being challenged.  Daniel was a young man who was honoring God even while in Babylon, he stood out among his peers, but he faced the challenge of the lion's den.  The Apostle Paul was fulfilling the calling that God had placed on his life, but he had haters, people trying to kill him and all sorts of problems while walking in obedience to God.