You were meant to conquer the storm, not crown it. This simple truth can transform how you approach every challenge, setback, and obstacle in your life. The difference between conquering and crowning determines whether you’ll rise above your circumstances or be ruled by them.
Seek First the Kingdom, Not the Problem
Matthew 6:33 says, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you.” But what do most people do? They seek first their problem. They seek first the betrayal, the lack of money, the health challenge, the obstacle in their way, the mountain that can’t be moved, the failed company, or how long they’ve been struggling.
What’s your priority and focus in life? It’s simple: what’s the first thing you think about when you wake up?
For me, it used to be whatever was most stressing me out. I would wake up and my mind would immediately go there. Sometimes it was a big expense, sometimes a relationship issue, sometimes something with family. For most of my life, that first thing when I woke up was whatever I was most stressed about. I was seeking that thing first. I was crowning it.
Now when I wake up, I say, “Thank you, God, for being my provider and my mentor.” That’s usually the very first thing I say. It’s seeking the kingdom first, and that verse promises that all these things (what to eat, what to wear, all the things God knows you need) will be added unto you.
Stop Crowning Your Challenges
We tend to crown the challenge, the trial, the obstacle, the stress. It’s a form of worship, and we don’t want to do that. Our problem is that on some days we allow our circumstances to be bigger than our blessing. That’s just not right. It’s not kingdom thinking, it’s not the sound of heaven.
In Christ, the truth is that Christ is bigger than the circumstances. Here’s a key distinction: in Christ, the bigger the challenge, the greater the upgrade.
Think about David and Goliath. If David had fought a six-foot-one tough guy, we would have never heard the story. We hear about it because of the size of the opposition. Nine feet tall. The tip of his spear weighed 15 pounds. His armor weighed 120 pounds. We know about that story because the opposition was so big.
The bigger the obstacle, the bigger the circumstance, the bigger the challenge, the bigger the upgrade and the bigger the promise. When you really step into that understanding, you can embrace James 1:2: “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you face trials of different sorts.”
The Caleb Perspective on Giants
When the Israelites sent spies into the Promised Land, there were twelve of them. Ten came back and said, “There’s giants, man. They’re huge. We’re like little grasshoppers to them. What are we going to do?”
Two of them, Caleb and Joshua, came back and said, “Yeah, it’s on, baby!” Caleb was excited. He said, “Not only are there a few giants, there’s a lot of them. God is going to show up big time.”
Do you know the other Israelites wanted to stone them for trying to pump people up to go into the Promised Land? They literally wanted to kill them because they were speaking optimism. They were speaking not about how big the giants were, but how big God was.
We see that today. When someone is speaking big promises, when someone is telling you that you’re amazing, someone will come along and try to kill that optimism. Caleb remembered the size of God; the others didn’t.
Your New Nature vs. Your Old Nature
Under pressure, our old nature defaults to resistance, anger, fear, anxiety, tiredness, depression, and distress. But our new nature (who we actually are) is always redefined in every situation. Your new nature looks at something and says, “Oh my goodness, by the time we get through this, I’m going to be amazing.”
Your new nature should not default to anxiety and stress. You should look at that challenge and obstacle and say, “Oh man, Lord, I can’t wait to see what you do with this.” Because if you know how much He loves you, you know He’ll never leave you or forsake you, and this isn’t a surprise to Him.
He’s not surprised by the health challenge, the financial challenge, the unexpected bill or expense. He knew it was coming. “Lord, I can’t wait to see what you do with this.” That should be your reaction.
The Starting Point for Wisdom
Proverbs 9:10-12 gives us the blueprint: “The starting point for acquiring wisdom is to be consumed with awe as you worship Yahweh.”
Your starting point in any trial, challenge, or obstacle is not the obstacle itself. The starting point for acquiring wisdom is to be consumed with awe as you worship God. This sounds like “seek first the kingdom of God.”
When you have that company close down, that termination, that betrayal, that person talking bad about you behind your back, that person lying about you, that financial challenge you have no clue how to get out of, what exactly are you consumed with? Are you consumed with the circumstance, or are you consumed with awe as you worship God?
Notice it says acquiring wisdom, not acquiring a solution. This means every time you become consumed with awe of God, you acquire something that gets taken with you. Most people pray for a result, but it’s actually a lesson they need because the lesson lasts longer. Results don’t last very long. Wisdom lasts and helps you with similar trials in the future.
“Wisdom will extend your life, making every year more fruitful than the one before. To ignore the counsel of wisdom is to invite trouble into your life.”
The Real Issue Behind Every Issue
The issue that is in front of you, demanding your attention, is never the real issue from God. That’s the issue the enemy wants you to focus on. The enemy wants you focused on your circumstance, and unfortunately, you’re being duped over and over.
Behind that issue is the real issue. Every single situation, problem, adversity, difficulty, and persecution in your life is always about one thing and one thing only: your relationship with God.
Every single circumstance you have is only ever about your relationship with God. That’s the first thing on God’s agenda because His purpose in sending Christ was to bring many into glory. The number one purpose of God in your life is to make you Christlike.
Therefore, every situation and circumstance has that agenda. It has to become your agenda too. “His will on earth as it is in heaven.” If that’s His agenda, let it be your agenda. “Father, thank you for helping me be more Christlike.”
Don’t Delay Your Joy
Most of the time we look at these situations and want them to be resolved. “Can’t wait for this to go away. Can’t wait for this lawsuit to be gone. Can’t wait for this trial to be over.”
But Nehemiah 8:10 says, “The joy of the Lord is my strength.” When you say, “I can’t wait for it to be done,” you’re saying, “I’m going to delay my joy.”
Don’t you need strength in the problem? Don’t you need the Lord’s strength? If the joy of the Lord is your strength, don’t you want the joy of the Lord so that you have strength in this situation? But instead, we delay it. We focus on the circumstance and fall into the enemy’s trap.
Engage with God Before the Situation
We want the situation to be resolved, so we engage with the situation before we engage with God. We call people: “Hey, did you hear what’s going on?” We post on social media: “I can’t believe this is happening. My company is just terrible.” We do everything before we go to God and find out His agenda.
The two important questions from the day of Pentecost are: “Lord, what are you doing here? What am I to do?” But often we engage on social media first, then maybe pray: “Lord, please take this away. Please make this better.” And we miss it.
We miss that area where God wanted to upgrade us, give us a promise, or grow us. The reason some people don’t have more fruitful years is because they’re not applying wisdom. They’re simply reacting the same way they did before.
The First Response Should Be Relational
God wants you to engage with your identity in Christ first. The first issue is always relational because every single thing God is doing in your life is relational. It’s to upgrade who you are in Christ Jesus.
The first response should be to upgrade your relationship with God. Ask: “Lord, what does this situation mean for our relationship?”
Sometimes the situation may take a month, six weeks, or six months. The reason it takes longer is because God wants to give you more. He also wants to teach you how to rejoice, give thanks, be at peace, and live from a place of patience because that really annoys the enemy.
When You’re Under Attack
Some of you are quick to say, “It’s spiritual warfare, I’m under attack.” Sometimes that’s true. But understand Luke 22:31-32. Jesus says to Peter, “Satan has asked to sift you like wheat, but when your faith returns, strengthen your brethren.”
If you happen to be under spiritual attack, God actually allowed it, and He allowed it because He needs you stronger for the territory He’s calling you into. Instead of “Oh, I’m under attack,” say, “All right, Lord, what is this for? What does this attack mean about our relationship? How are you growing me? How am I to acquire wisdom in this situation?”
That’s a very unworldly response, and that’s exactly what Christlike looks like.
You were meant to conquer the storm, not crown it. Stop giving your circumstances a throne in your life and start seeking the kingdom first. When you do, you’ll find that every challenge becomes an opportunity for upgrade, every obstacle becomes a platform for God to show His greatness, and every storm becomes a chance to walk on water.
