What do you do when life hits you hard? What happens to you when it seems like everything around you is caving in, or, crumbling into pieces? It's hard to say. It's hard to even think about the pressure of it all when you are not in it.

In these stages of life, it is so easy to cuddle up with your favorite blanket, munch on your favorite snack, watch your favorite shows, and tune out the world, possibly forever. But would it really result in the problem being solved? Nah... It would just result in the problem sitting there like puppy, anxiously waiting for you to come back.

Being a Christian, it is hard to face trials and tribulations with a genuine smile on your face and peace in your heart. But, it is possible! Hard, but possible. You can remain steadfast in your faith so that the process you are going through will not blind the promise God has given you.

So, here are ten ways to remain strong in your faith while going through tough times.

1). It is okay to feel what you feel...

You know how you sometimes you want to scream and shout at God? Ask Him why all of this is happening to you? Stomp away from Him crying and saying all this isn't fair? Cmon now, admit it... No shame in saying that you do. I have done this. We all have. I am here to tell you that it's okay to feel that way. It's even better that you express yourself and tell God what is on your mind. It is okay to cry, be frustrated, angry, and sad about what you are going through. God is a God that cares. He wants you to voice your frustrations, pain, worries, all on Him (1st Peter 5:7). But, the gag is... Once you have released your feelings, leave them with Him. That is what 1st Peter 5:7 is all about! Casting is something you do when you want to throw something out, especially in a certain direction, and leave it there. Once it has been cast, it is gone forever.

2). Pray

So many people believe that prayer has to be this grandeur thing where you pronounce words eloquently and use extreme bows, all the while quoting King James Version of the Bible from memory. Ha, nah, Thank God it is nothing like that. All He wants from you is to talk to you, just like you talk to your friends. Hard to believe? I know, it sounds strange because here is God who made the whole universe and beyond, and we can come to Him like, "Ay yo God, whaddup? Lemme tell you what's on my mind homie..." Like, yeah! We can do that! That's what so amazing about Him! We can come to Him as we are. Better yet, He will meet us where we are. Although God is a pursuer, we have to make sure we are open and willing to go to Him (John 6:37), then He will receive us with open arms.

3). Read the Word of G

I cannot even begin to express how important this step is. Like, this is super-duper-fragilisticexpialidocious important. Without the reinforcement of the Word, we can fall into dark areas of life where we do not have to do. Although things could be falling apart all around us, we have the Word to stand on. In Hosea 4:6 (NKJV), it says "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge" because they "rejected knowledge". They may not have rejected the Word blatantly, but they forgot the Word and did not use what was in front of them to use! This knowledge was placed in your hands in order for you to live as God intends for you to live: Free. So, please use it.

4). Worship

Worship is a place where you can put all of your focus on God and let all the pain, worry, and hardships go. Do you know that your worship stops Satan right in his tracks? You say, "How?", well... I am glad you asked! Let's take an everyday example: Concerts. Remember the last time you went to a concert to see your favorite artist? Remember how you bonded with people you didn't even know just through song? Remember how hyped up you became and you felt like nothing in the whole entire world could ruin that day/night? Yeah, worship is just like that. When you worship, you are not alone. All of Heaven is with you, rejoicing! When you worship, you release your faith into the atmosphere and it makes things move into their rightful place. Worship is totally essential; it is your power to move and shout until the walls come down (Joshua 6:20).

5). Talk to your Pastor

Still having trouble keeping your faith? Try talking to your Pastor. Okay, okay, before you say, "Well, the Pastor is busy. Plus, he/she doesn't want to hear about my problems", I am going to stop you right there because there are many pastors who would love to here from their congregation, especially concerning faith. That's what they are there for! They are like Shepard leading the sheep! God placed them in position to lead his church: You! We need guidance from them. Does it mean that you have to get in depth about every situation going on in your life? Nah... but at least try to be a little open and talk about what is going on. It's okay, you are not the only one going through it.

6). Confide in your Friends

Having friends that care for you and love you are literally a life-saver. Like, seriously. Especially the ones you can count on! Proverbs 27:17 (VOC) says, "In the same way that iron sharpens iron, a person sharpens the character of his friend". They can literally "sharpen" up your life and you can "sharpen" theirs! How cool is that?! To be able share with another the issues of life and all of you come out strong, clean, and improved together! Be sure to share with your friends what you are going through. They just may have a Word for you to lift up your spirits, or, they could be experiencing the same thing. Either way, you guys could keep each other in faith. Which brings me to my next point...

7). Accountability

Not only are your friends just your friends, but they can also be your accountability partners. An accountability partner will help you to stay on the faith walk. Whenever you are feeling low or empty, you can call or text or Facetime your accountability partner. They can and will remind you of the Word, God's Promises, and that you have been built to endure! Additionally, your accountability partners do not have to be your friends, they can be anyone you trust and are able to confide in.

8). Fasting

I know... fasting is HARD. Abstaining from food in society where mostly all of our commercials and advertisement consist of food is extremely difficult, but it is very possible and sometimes very necessary. You see, fasting was designed to bring us closer to God and when we give up food, we are letting God know that His word will become our meat and that we have such a desperate need to hear from Him that we will do away with what our flesh needs the most: Food.

When going through rough times, it is so easy to focus on the situation that is happening in front of you. It is easy to get off track and become unraveled in the whirl of emotions that happen throughout daily life. But focusing on the problem can not only throw us off the the tracks, it can blind us from seeing and focusing on God's Promises.

As I was compiling this list together, it reminded me of the very great things of God and His promises. I,too, are going through some very rough times right now and making this list not only helped me out too.I pray that this list blesses all of you.

With love,

Love,

Me.