In second Samuel 24, David's pride shows itself as he takes a 10-month census to count how many soldiers he had. At the end of the census David realizes the sin he committed and how he had put his hope in the number of fighting men over his trust in the Lord. David owns his sin and falls on his face before the Lord. There were consequences, but David modeled what true repentance looks like and he ran to the Lord. Have you owned your sin and are you running toward or away from the Lord?

In 1st Kings 3, God comes to Solomon in a dream and asks him to ask for whatever he wants. Solomon understood the important responsibility of leading God's people and he asked for a discerning heart to govern God's people. It says the the Lord was pleased with Solomon's ask and God blessed Solomon and gave him way more than he could have ever asked for. We tend to be trivial with our asks and we don't get in the paint with God because we don’t understand his ways however, we too have the opportunity to ask the Lord good asks that are in line with His desires for us, but we have to have a trustworthy relationship with the Lord and learn and study His Word. As we mature in the Lord, our asks will also mature.

The Bible is full of people like Joseph and Paul who endured difficulty, suffering and isolation. They could have been crushed but they were strengthened by God and their toughness came from a continual relationship with the Lord. We look to Jesus Christ as our perfect example of how to be tough despite the circumstances.