Above Our Circumstances

Philippians 1:19-21

We are expected to live above our circumstances and focus upon God and His sovereignty. But how do we accomplish this in practical terms? In reality, we are often too weak to properly adjust our mindset to Christ and see the potential for good in painful times. Thankfully, believers are not without help.
In order to focus on God and successfully live above our circumstances, we must understand our unity with Christ through the Holy Spirit. Life is not segregated into neat packages of work, family, church, etc., with no crossover or blurring of the lines between areas. Christ should permeate our entire existence. Paul was in such oneness with the Lord that to live in his earthly body meant to have Christ with him every moment, no matter the situation. No area of the apostle’s life could be defined apart from his faith. His mind, heart, and will were completely saturated with Christ.
When Paul wrote, “To live is Christ,” he was referring to Jesus living and working through us in the Holy Spirit’s power (Philippians 1:21). That doesn’t mean we think of divinity every second of the day, but we do make God’s will our first consideration when dealing with others.
Trying circumstances are a reality for everyone, Christian or not. The difference for believers occurs when we recognize our oneness with Christ, when we act by His strength and live according to His directions. That’s when focusing on Him becomes second nature.