I remember the first time I began to realize that God wanted to use my hard times to renew my faith. It wasn’t the answer I was seeking when I first began to pray. I was having a hard time and I just needed to know that there was a purpose to all the pain I was dealing with.

I had been praying some very specific prayers for a long time and God wasn’t answering them. At least I didn’t think He was. I had made the mistake of trying to tell God how to work out my situation and I was growing frustrated by His unwillingness to do things my way.

I was tired of waiting. The trial had gone on for so long and I was battle-weary and exhausted. I was ready for it to be over. And I don’t think those desires or feelings were wrong. I was just missing the point.

God wanted me to grow during this time. He wanted me to be renewed during the struggle so I could make it to victory.

3 Ways God Brings Spiritual Renewal During Hard Times

Seasons of waiting can be hard but they can also be a time of spiritual renewal and growth. Today I want to show you a few different ways to experience spiritual renewal when you are going through a trial.

God wants to renew your heart

As you turn to God with your heartache and your struggles, something incredible happens… your heart begins to change. When we seek God for answers and help, He begins to work from the inside out.

You will find that you start to see your actions the way God does. Your sin is exposed and you are able to repent and return to the narrow path God has just for you. And as you begin to walk in obedience you will experience God’s blessings.

God wants to renew your mind

One of the biggest battles during a trial goes on in your mind. Your thoughts lie to you. Your emotions threaten to consume you. You start to believe that things are hopeless. Anxiety and fear haunt you as you try to sleep at night. They all point to the same lie: God doesn’t love you enough to come through.

As you wait on God, you learn to take those thoughts captive and replace them with the truth. As you anchor yourself in the truth you will find that it’s easier to stand firm on God’s promises and be secure in your identity as a daughter of the King!

God wants to renew your strength

In the beginning of a trial, I often feel powerless and weak. Life has a way of beating us down. But God tells us that when we are weak, He is made strong. When we realize that we have unlimited power in God, it helps us keep standing when things seem impossible.

God will carry you from impossibility to possibility if you just keep praying and believing. You’ll see Him work miracles on your behalf. You will have peace in the midst of the storm. And nothing that the devil throws at you will shake you.

Ultimately, God wants those hard times to bring spiritual renewal to your life. As you allow Him to renew your heart, mind, and strength it becomes easier to walk through the fire. You’ll be able to hold onto your hope and dream about all the blessings that are coming your way!

There was a time in my life when I felt completely helpless. I felt weak. I had no voice. I had no fight. The devil was out to kill me and I was making it easy for him.

The truly terrifying thing is that I didn’t know it.

I was being systematically stripped of my identity. The very core of who God created me to be was under attack. I thought I was going crazy. Fear and anxiety controlled my mind and my thoughts.

I was sick all the time. I was losing weight rapidly. I was literally wasting away.

I firmly believe that God uses suffering to draw us into a closer relationship with him. I also believe that God uses hard times to wake us up spiritually.

How God Uses Hard Times as a Spiritual Wake-Up Call

There comes a point in your trial when you wake up to the reality of what you are facing. That is the first step in embracing your identity as a prayer warrior.

This point came for Gideon one day when he was hiding. He was in a terrible situation and was giving in to his fear. But when an angel of the Lord showed up, everything changed. Gideon went from a weak and terrified coward to a mighty man of valor.

Today I want you to know that no matter how you feel, you are a mighty warrior. You are a woman of valor. All you have to do is wake up and start fighting.

When you are spiritually asleep, you are easy prey. Satan can do anything he wants because you won’t fight back. And he will keep pounding and pounding you in hopes that you never open your eyes and see the truth.

So, how can you wake up during your trial?

First, you need to take a good look at what you are doing right now in your trial. Is there some area of sin that you need to repent of right now? Is there some habit you need to break immediately?

Next, you need to start praying like you’ve never prayed before. Call out to God for His help and wisdom. Ask Him to show you what you need to do. And when He speaks you need to listen and obey immediately.

And then what?

This is the exciting and scary part: you get to watch God work!

When Gideon finally stepped into the calling on his life, God defeated an entire army and saved a nation. Just imagine what He can do when you step into your calling.

It’s time to wake up, Prayer Warrior! It’s time to wage warfare against the enemy.

I needed answers.

I wasn’t used to hearing from God but I knew that if I was going to continue to grow during my trials I needed to have my ears tuned to that still small voice. There were times that I thought I heard Him speak to me, but honestly, I wasn’t sure.

In the past, there were times that I was sure I heard from the Lord, but I was wrong.

Looking back, I realize that I wasn’t taking the time to actually hear. I was depending on other people to hear for me. I learned the hard way how dangerous that is.

Several bad relationships had led me to a place where I really didn’t trust myself. It happens with abuse victims. You are controlled for so long and you are told that you are crazy for so long that you eventually start to believe it. I mean, when church leaders and half a congregation all have such nice things to say about a person it must be God speaking, right?

I was wrong. But as I began to heal and grow, I was determined to learn to hear from God. I knew that He wanted to talk to me so I decided that I needed to learn how to listen.

3 Secrets to Hearing from God

I remember asking my spiritual mentor how I could know if I was hearing from God. She is so sweet and patient with me and my sometimes childish questions. She encouraged me to be still and listen. And to test anything that I thought I was hearing with scripture.

So I began to search for an answer to my question and came across this verse:

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. John 10:27 NLT

That verse confirmed what my mentor shared with me: The key to hearing from God is learning to listen. But there’s more to it than that.

Hearing from God Means You Know Him

One of the reasons God allows suffering is to be in a closer relationship with us. The only way to get to know God is spend time in prayer, Bible reading and study, and other spiritual disciplines. There’s no way for me to understand the true character of God if I don’t learn all that I can about Him.

My boys are with me all the time so they know me. They know what I approve of and what I don’t. They know how to approach me to ask for something and they know when I mean business.

We need to know all those things about our Heavenly Father.

Hearing from God Means He Knows Us

If you’ve been a parent for any amount of time, I bet you can recognize your child’s voice in a crowd. You know what they like and don’t like. You can tell when they need to take a break or a nap.

God knows all our hurts and pains. He knows what we struggle with and what we need to face. Ultimately He knows what’s best for us. And because He knows us we can trust that He hears us when we call or cry out.

Hearing from God Means Following Him

I think this is the hardest part. Hearing from God and obeying what He says is not the same thing. The Bible is full of people who heard from the Lord but still chose to disobey.

I don’t believe that God speaks because He likes the sound of His own voice. He speaks because He wants to talk with us. He wants to have a relationship with us. To lead and guide us through His perfect plan. Knowing this about God should make it easier to follow.

I am learning to listen and I hear from God often. It’s always a good day when God speaks to me. In my experience, it’s always exactly what I need to hear even when I don’t know it yet.

If you are struggling to hear from God or to be sure that you are hearing from Him, keep seeking. Keep praying and keep learning to be quiet in His presence. He will speak to you.