10 Christian Hacks for Solving Life’s Problems
How to solve life’s problems
How many problems do you face in a day?
You probably have your own ideas of what to insert here.
Don’t you wish you could make it all disappear? Or have you ever thought, if only life came with an instruction manual!
Thankfully, for Christians, it does!
The Bible provides us with guidance for dealing with all the problems we may face in life. While the Bible might not specifically mention what you are facing, the following ten hacks will help us face our issues the way God intended.
Acknowledge your sins to God.
How does this help solve the problems we face in life? When sin dominates our thinking, we can’t communicate with God. He cannot be in the presence of sin, so He created a way for us to reconnect with Him through acknowledgement of our sins.
1 John 1:9 says “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (NASB). Confess here means to acknowledge the wrong doing or thinking in our life.
God already knows what we’ve done, but when we name what we’ve done, we create awareness in our own minds of the areas and actions we struggle with. We begin to see where we consistently fall short and can work to grow in those areas.
Allow the Holy Spirit to guide your actions.
How does this help solve the problems we face in life? There is no better way to face problems than with the Holy Spirit in control of our life and our decisions! We are less likely to respond emotionally when God is in control of our actions and we will view things more reasonably as well.
Just as we can be controlled by our tendency for sin, we can allow the Holy Spirit to control our actions. Ephesians 5:18 is a vivid illustration of how our sin dominated life looks to God. Paul writes, “And do not get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless actions, but be filled by the Spirit” (HCSB). This verse is not about the consumption of alcohol. It is an illustration of how alcohol effects your thinking, lowering your inhibitions and hindering proper decision making.
Sin does the same thing in your life. Repeatedly sinning is like continued consumption of alcohol. If you never stopped drinking, how would that effect your life? The Bible’s answer to the problems this creates is to be filled with the Holy Spirit instead.
Trust in God, His Word, and His promises. (Faith/Rest drill)
How does this help solve the problems we face in life? Worry never solves a problem. It only stops rational thinking. When we rest on what we know of God, we are trusting that He has the best in mind for our life.
Hebrews 4:11 says, “So let us make every effort to enjoy that rest. Then no one will fall into sin by following the example of those who didn’t obey God” (NIRV). “Make every effort” refers to us having control of our mind, not to us doing good deeds.
In 1 Peter 5:7, we are told we should “Leave all your worries with him, because he cares for you.” (Good News). God, the Creator of the universe, cares for you! That alone should give us peace when we are struggling in life. The Bible is full of His promises to us and when we trust Him to fulfill those promises, we can find hope in the challenges we face.
Live by God’s grace and not the Law. (Orientation to Grace)
How does this help solve the problems we face in life? When we live by God’s grace, it relieves the pressure of feeling like we have to be perfect. God’s grace is His undeserved favor towards us. Because He knows we can’t be perfect, He doesn’t require perfection from us.
Throughout the Old Testament, people lived by the Law as a human effort to be closer to God. In Matthew 5:17, Jesus tells His disciples, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill” (NASB). That fulfillment allows us to live by His grace because of the price Christ paid for each of us.
Many still label Christians as people who don’t do wrong, or think they don’t, but we are not perfect and we aren’t called to be perfect. We are forgiven! When we can understand how to live in His grace, it frees us from those labels and expectations.
Make God’s Word a priority. (Orientation to Doctrine)
How does this help solve the problems we face in life? The Bible holds the answers to every spiritual question we may face and documents the thousands of promises God gives to each of us. If we don’t know His promises or the guidelines He gives us for our new life, we are facing our problems on our own and through a worldly way of thinking.
Romans 12:2 says, “Don’t live any longer the way this world lives. Let your way of thinking be completely changed. Then you will be able to test what God wants for you. And you will agree that what he wants is right. His plan is good and pleasing and perfect.” (NIRV). We can only change the way we think by studying and applying God’s Word.
God’s Word has been tested for thousands of years and has held true to His promises every time. There is power in His Word that is only active in your life when you understand it and use it.
Understand that God has a purpose and plan for you. (Personal Sense of Destiny)
How does this help solve the problems we face in life? God Himself has a solution to every problem you face. He has a purpose that only you can fulfill. He has given you a way out or the strength to withstand every trial you face. When we understand that, it is easier to see the solutions He presents.
Jeremiah 1:5 says, “I chose you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born. I appointed you a prophet to the nations” (HCSB). We tend to worry about our future and trivial things, but God had a plan for our life before we were even conceived.
You are not here by accident. There is something that you were created to do here on earth, something only you can do. That’s how important you are in God’s plan so He won’t leave you to struggle alone. There is something greater ahead.
Learn to love God by spending time with Him. (Personal Love for God)
How does this help solve the problems we face in life? When you spend time with someone you care about, you get to know what you can expect from that person because you know their character. The same holds true for God. As you get to know His character, it is easier to understand the purpose He has for you and the promises He’ll fulfill for you. It is easier to have the assurance that He will be with you as you face your trials.
In order to get to know someone, even God, there has to be communication with them and knowledge about them. You have to build a relationship, but luckily the relationship with God already has a loving foundation. I John 4:19 tells us “We love Him because He first loved us” (NKJV).
This may initially seem like a one-sided relationship, but we have access to His most intimate thoughts. As we pray and spend time studying the Bible, God will reveal more and more of Himself to us.
See everyone through God’s eyes. (Unconditional Love for All Mankind)
How does this help solve the problems we face in life? Viewing those around us as beloved children of God, even those who hurt us, gives us a new perspective on how to respond to them. Don’t focus on the person causing your distress. Focus instead on Christ who died for them.
None of us are worthy, yet God loves us unconditionally despite that. In the same way, learn to love people because of who you are Christ, not because they deserve your love.
1 Corinthians 13: 4 – 8 gives us a detailed account of what that kind of love should look like. Verse 4 says, “Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not conceited” (HCSB). There is no selfishness in love and no tally of things done wrong. Just think how amazing your life would be if you lived that out!
Let your happiness be based on God and not on your circumstances. (Sharing the Happiness of God)
How does this help solve the problems we face in life? Circumstances will not dictate your life if your joy comes from within.
James 1:2 – 4 encourages us to “Consider it nothing but joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you fall into various trials. Be assured that the testing of your faith [through experience] produces endurance [leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace]. And let endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfect and completely developed [in your faith], lacking in nothing.”
We generally only consider ourselves happy when things are going well, but our happiness is a choice we make. We can learn to have joy when we understand the benefits of even things we consider bad.
Make Jesus the priority of your life. (Occupation with Christ)
How does this help solve the problems we face in life? If Jesus is the most important thing in your life, everything else in life falls into place. You are turning your life over to Christ and allowing Him to manage it for you. Nothing is more important.
Luke 14:26 shows us what putting Christ first looks like. It says, “If someone wants to obey me, he must live like this: He must love me more than he loves his own father and mother. He must love me more than he loves his wife and his children. He must love me more than he loves his brothers and his sisters. He must even love me more than he loves himself. If he does not do that, he cannot be one of my disciples” (EASY). Christ put it this way because we often have tunnel vision and focus only on what we see around us, allowing that to distract us from Him.
Christ can see the big picture and what is best not only for you but for everyone around you. If you look to Him for answers because He is your priority, He can direct you to the right solution for all.
What? Prayer isn’t a way to solve life’s problems?
Prayer is not a life hack. Pray is a way to invoke the most powerful, power source in the universe. That source has the ability to change people and circumstances, but you have to choose to utilize it.
Prayer should be a way of life and these life hacks can only be achieved when you saturate them in prayer. They might not necessarily change your situation, but they can help change the way you view the issues you face, which changes how you react to the circumstances.