If you’ve ever struggled with constant problems and situations that seemed to continually crop up, you may have wondered how to break what seemed like a vicious cycle. Daily living can be challenging enough without feeling like life is beating us up. This is actually not God’s will for us, and realizing this is the first step in getting the upper hand. With His help, it’s entirely possible to escape the “if it’s not one thing, it’s another” syndrome.

Many people simply accept the issues that hold them down and keep them from reaching their goals; they depend on their own self-effort to deal with them. Jesus wants to come alongside us to help us live victoriously, and He can do so when we accept Him and make Him our Lord and Savior. As our partner, He gives us power and authority over every situation that comes against us. “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:19, 20). This isn’t just on a spiritual level, but also in the physical realm in which we live.

He gave this authority to His disciples (Matthew 10:1) and He also offers it to those who believe in Him. We don’t have to be subject to sickness, poverty, lack, insufficiency, bad relationships, fear, worry, stress, or anything else that is evil. This authority is real and, when we get born again, it’s available to us by faith. If we don’t like the way we’re living now, we can use this power to turn our lives around.

Our authority hinges on our belief, which is strengthened when we study our Bible and meditate on God’s Word concerning us. There are spiritual laws in force that we can’t see but still exist, and accepting less than what God wants for us is a violation of those laws. Similar to a police officer enforcing physical laws, our willingness to act on the biblical principles we read gives us authority to enforce the laws governing the spiritual realm. The devil is a thief who tries to steal the joy out of our lives, but God wants us to enjoy life to the fullest. “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life” (John 10:10, NLT).

We don’t have to be defeated. Believing in God’s ability to pull us out of whatever mess we’re in empowers us with His strength. “I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency]” (Philippians 4:13, AMPC). We’d be stuck in our problems if we relied on our own limited capabilities, but He is greater and stronger than any issue we could ever face.

We can get discouraged if we think no one cares about what happens to us. Reading what God says about us gives us the encouragement to get out from under life’s junk and continue moving forward. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11, NKJV). He’s the master at turning what looks like failure into a win-win situation.