Could we ever learn to trust God if there were no trials in our lives?  Probably not, for we would never call upon God if we had no need of help.  Does God delight in our going through problems? Certainly not, yet He can use them to deepen our trust in Him.  I can just hear someone saying, I have cancer, are you saying God did that to me so I would learn to trust Him? NO!  God isn’t the source of your troubles, the devil is. Don’t blame God for the devil’s work.  The devil is the problem, and God is the solution, that’s why He sent Jesus to die on the cross for us.  But what does that have to do with controlling your thoughts?
Plenty, to be sure; it’s too easy to blame God when we are in the midst of trials, maybe even falling for the lies of the devil that GOD DID THAT TO YOU TO TEACH YOU A LESSON.  God doesn’t give people cancer to teach them a lesson.  No, God sent Jesus to the earth and He healed the sick, he didn’t make them sick.  That alone should serve to change our heart toward God when we’re going through hard times.  Yet it is natural to want to lash out at someone when we’re hurting.
There is something I want to bring out here to think about, trials give us opportunity to cry out to God for help. God has given each of us talents and abilities for us to use to solve problems, and hopefully the wisdom to know the difference between what we can solve ourselves, and what we cannot. It is written in Hebrews 4:14-16,
Heb 4:14  Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
Heb 4:15  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Heb 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
So let’s say you have a problem for which you have cried out to God for help.  We know He is faithful to help us, so let’s settle that part right here and now so we don’t have to wonder every time we’re in a trial if God will help when we ask.  He will, that’s settled.  Have you ever considered the fact that the higher the position God is preparing you for, the more difficult the trials may be?  After all, God will not put a novice in a place of authority.  Rather, He uses the adversity you are going through to allow you to learn to fully lean upon Him, so that you may fully trust Him in every situation.  That in turn shows God that He can fully trust YOU in every situation with His authority, for He knows you will not do anything outside of His will.
Look at how God bragged on Abraham in Genesis 18:17-19;
Gen 18:17  And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;
Gen 18:18  Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
Gen 18:19  For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
Exactly how did Abraham earn such trust from God?  Remember how Abraham was commanded of God to leave his dwelling place and go where the LORD would show him?  He went, no questions asked.  When God promised him and Sarah a son, he took God at His word, period.  When Isaac was born, his name meant “laughter”, and you can bet Abraham and Sarah laughed after everyone told them they couldn’t have a child and they did!  When he was asked to sacrifice Isaac on the altar, Abraham proceeded to obey without hesitation, and would have done so, had not the angel of the LORD stopped him in time, as written in Genesis 22:11-12;
Gen 22:11  And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
Gen 22:12  And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
You see, Abraham mastered something few of us ever do: he learned to control his thoughts.  In doing so, he learned to control his life, by submitting his will completely to God, and of course, God showered him with blessings all of his life.  Abraham became one of God’s “Generals” by learning to keep his thoughts in line constantly with God’s Word, and if we are ever going to amount to anything in God’s Kingdom, let alone here on earth, we must do the same.  He wants EACH of us to be one of His “Generals”.  He creates excellence, not junk.
By controlling our thoughts, especially in times of trials, we won’t be blaming God for the problems.  Instead, we will be running to Him for the solution each time, and guess what?  God will provide the solution, but we must be mindful that DURING the trial, not to let our thoughts wander, and let damaging things come out of our mouth, for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, right?  Right.  Many a blessing that God intended for people has been missed by their letting their thoughts wander into the devil’s territory.  And soon their mouth follows, every time.  And their own words become their worst enemy.  Ever done that?  Don’t ask me how I know that’s how it works…..But by the grace of God, I have learned the RIGHT way, and have been blessed as a result, even when it has been brought on by trials.  Trials are used by God to refine us in the fire, so to speak.  Jesus learned obedience by adversity, can we hope to learn obedience without it?
It is written in Hebrews 5:7-8,
Heb 5:7  Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;
Heb 5:8  Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
Heb 5:9  And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
You see, the key to it all is OBEDIENCE.  Now don’t get me wrong, God would much rather we all learn obedience simply by reading His Word, and be corrected the easy way, but SOME of us are hard headed, you know what I mean?  and we bring on many of our OWN troubles.  I know I have, anyway, and from the sufferings my disobedience brought me, resulted in CORRECTING ME.  Now, before you go off on me, remember, cancer and sickness are NOT how God corrects people.  BUT, as it was in MY case, cancer and pain definitely got my attention and caused me to cry out to God, which resulted in my salvation and the ministry I’ve had since 1993.  Did God give me cancer?  NO!  Did I enjoy cancer?  Uhhhh, no.  Did I cry out to God as a result of cancer?  YES!  Did He deliver me?  YES!  Do I trust and obey Him now?  YES!
I learned through suffering that sore trial to bring every thought into the captivity of Christ if I wanted out of it, which obviously affected what I spoke.  Speaking God’s healing scriptures constantly over my body resulted in His Word HEALING me, and twenty years later, I’m STILL healed, and yes, I still speak His Word over my body yet today.  In a nutshell, Control your thoughts, control your life.  Don’t tell me, “It’s too hard to do that.”  No, SUFFERING is hard.  God has the solution to every problem you face in life, and He isn’t stingy with it either.  It’s about a relationship with God, my friend.  Learn to trust in the fact that God loves you and wants you to be exceedingly blessed in every area of your life.  The result? you trust in God, God trusts in you.  Control and cast down EVERY thought contrary to that.  Never let anything come out of your mouth that is out of line with God’s Word.  And if you don’t know what God’s Words are, then get in your Bible and LEARN!!!!!  You’ll be glad you did!  You’ll thank me someday for telling you this, even if it isn’t what you’d like to hear right now.
Remember; control your thoughts, control your life.