How to Make the Most of Your Times in the Pit

I hate wasting anything! And I hate being in a pit! Don’t you? What if we could use these unavoidable times for God’s glory?

Want to know how to make the most of your times in the pit?

This is what the Lord has been teaching me…

Cooperate with God as He works it out for good (Rom 8:28-29; Ps 119:68).
The Lord wants to use your pit experiences to develop lasting eternal fruit. Knowing that your difficulties are not for naught will prevent you from going deeper and losing hope while there.

Do some soul-searching during and after your down times
I know—this takes effort. No one likes looking at themselves. So, let me give you some really good reasons why you should put out the effort:

Leads to greater intimacy with your Savior
Enables you to better apply His truths in everyday life and therefore act more like Jesus
Lessens the frequency and duration of down times
Renews your mind. The Holy Spirit will reveal wrong thinking patterns and enable you to replace them with right thinking.

A word of caution: Do this soul-searching with the Holy Spirit and an open Bible. Otherwise, your emotions or Satan may deceive you. Only the Holy Spirit can lead you into all truth. (Jn 16:33)

Here are some suggestions on what you should ponder with the Holy Spirit’s direction about your down times:

How did I get in there (here); what triggered it? (excessive #trials, stress, tiredness, illness, greatly offended…)
Ask what not why.
-What can I learn about God from this experience/about myself? What are my tendencies? Is there a pattern?
-What lies am I believing about myself/God?
-What got me out the last time?
-What gives me hope?
-What do I know for sure to be true?

Is this God’s way of getting my attention (His discipline) about:
-An unconfessed sin
-Disobedience
-An unyielding or prideful heart
-An unforgiving, angry, resentful heart
-Rationalizing or denying sin

The list could go on and on. Again let the Holy Spirit guide you here (Ps 139:23-24). And if you have a tendency to beat yourself up, like I do, be careful not to bring additional and unnecessary guilt upon yourself. Instead, simply admit (confess), repent (desire and resolve to change), accept God’s forgiveness, and be restored into a right relationship with Him (1 Jn 1:9).

Is there anything God wants me to change?
Is this dark time not of my own doing, but due to
-Someone else sinning against me
-Satanic attack (like Job)
Or because
-God wants to produce glorious fruit for His kingdom that cannot be accomplished in any other way?

Lastly ask.

How might God want to use this? Who’s in a similar pit that I can reach out to and encourage (2 Cor 1:4)?

Surprisingly, this Holy Spirit-guided evaluation of my extended dark times last year, has refreshed and energized my soul! I am more determined than ever to use my spiritual gifts, talents, knowledge, past experiences, personality, makeup (including my emotionality), and even my weaknesses for furthering His glorious kingdom! (See 2 Cor 12:7)

All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.
Therefore [I] do not lose heart. Though outwardly [I am] wasting away, yet inwardly [I am] being renewed day by day. For [my] light and momentary troubles are achieving for [me] an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So [I] fix [my] eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Cor 4:15-18, personalized)

So my friends, do you want to make the most of your times in the pit? Then do some soul-searching with the Holy Spirit and pray this with me:

Lord, help me to use my dark times to become more like Christ, to help others, and to produce eternal fruit for Your glory!

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