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Can we succeed in life if we cannot overcome adversity? No. This is why we will have to take some perseverance tests during our lives. However, as James 1:2-3 exhorts us, we should consider it pure joy when we face trials of any kind, because the testing of our faith will develop perseverance; and perseverance will produce maturity and completeness.

To enjoy a high level of abundance in our lives, we must be able to face opposition with confidence and without worrying or becoming anxious. Life will inevitably throw punches at us. What we must do is not become intimidated, fearful or paralyzed, but instead become counter-punchers. Regardless of the situation we face, no matter how strong and powerful our “opponent” is, we must strike the last punch. Do I mean here that we should always have the last word or take revenge? Absolutely not! By striking a punch, I mean that we should keep exercising our faith muscles, retain our peace and composure, and adopt the attitudes of a conqueror. The worst that we could do is to become weak in our mind. Why? Because if we lose the battle in our mind, we will automatically be defeated as we have already seen.

Until we can pass the perseverance tests that come with our pot, we won’t really be ready to move to a new pot and enjoy a new level of abundance. We could try, but we will quickly be overwhelmed. Would a novice boxer fight with the world champion of his weight-division? Realistically, no. This is the same thing for us. Moving to a new pot is like going into the ring and fighting against a new champion. We must be prepared before we do so, and allow time to do its work in us.

→ What we must realize while we are in the midst of adversity is that our situation can change overnight, when we least expect it. Too often, people give up the mental fight when they are so close to the victory, to reaching the top of the mountain, to crossing the finishing line. The Bible’s story of Joseph illustrates this reality wonderfully. He went from being poor and forgotten in prison, to being second only to Pharaoh…overnight! He reported directly to Pharaoh and was put in charge of the destiny of Egypt. All the adversity and the hardships that he had gone through for years had prepared him for the challenges that waited him in this key position. God basically used adversity to refine his character, to mature him, to teach him to depend solely on Him and to prepare him to carry out the grandiose plan He had for his life.

→ How many of us would say yes when asked if we would like to take a similar high profile position to the one Joseph assumed? Many! However, how many would still say yes if told that they would have to go through the hardships that Joseph had to? Very few! Too many people want to win the trophy without sacrificing their comfort. When adversity enters our lives, we should rejoice as Paul says in Romans 5:3-4: “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” A life filled with easiness and instant gratification is anything but a blessed life. It does not lead to abundance, but to captivity and misery.

→ The fact is that it does not matter how confident, focused, engaged and courageous we are if we have no mental toughness and patience. To be victorious, we must stand up on the inside using our mental toughness. We must never give up, but continue to fight the good fight of faith. The adversity we are going through could last longer than expected. It is precisely at such times that perseverance will be decisive.

In the world of sports, mental toughness is often what makes the difference between winning and losing. The resilience of marathon runners, for example, is tested in the last 10 kilometers, not in the first 32 kilometers! Many runners reach their stamina limits at this point, and the winner is almost always the one who can keep running at the same pace (or even accelerate) to finish the race: the “real” battle is in the mind. It is exactly the same for us. The perseverance test is first won in the mind, nowhere else! History is full of examples:

• Winston Churchill was defeated in every election for public office that he stood for until he became Prime Minister at an advanced age;


• Henry Ford went broke 5 times before he finally succeeded;


• A newspaper editor fired Walt Disney because he lacked imagination and had no good ideas; moreover, he went bankrupt several times before he went on to build his company;


• Van Gogh sold only one painting during his lifetime;


• Crime novelist John Creasey apparently got 753 rejection slips before he published over 560 books;


• John Milton wrote “Paradise Lost” 16 years after having lost his eyesight;


• Sigmund Freud’s ideas were rejected when he first presented them to the European scientific community of the time.

Confucius said, “Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall.” It takes resilience and perseverance to do that. As Washington Irving put it, we can either be tamed and subdued by misfortunes or (rise) above them; the choice is ours.

Serge Roux-Levrat is the Principal Ambassador of SRL Ministries and the author of numerous books and ebooks such as Spiritually Stronger In 40 Days!, Make Your Life Worth Living and How To Enjoy An Abundant Health.

Serge stayed seven years in what he calls God's detoxification clinic. During this time he studied and meditated extensively upon the Word of God, renewed his mind, received many revelations from the Holy Spirit, developed many spiritual gifts, taught Bible-Study classes in a large Christian Church and successfully passed key tests that God had asked him to take. More importantly, he learned to trust and to depend solely on God.

He is married since 1995 to Barbara, and they are the parents of two children.

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