Situation: the way in which something is placed in relation to its surroundings; all the facts, conditions and events that affect someone at a particular time and in a particular place.

Sitiation:  a critical, trying, or unusual state of affairs; an important or sudden problem; an obstacle that has elevated to another level – it was a situation, but is now a sitiation.

Whatever level of your predicament, either can be stressful. It can cause one to lose sleep, suffer from pain and worry, to mention a few. Usually in the middle of this event in life is an obstacle through one’s efforts appear to be insurmountable, something that can’t be overcome. It is probably the way the woman recorded in II Kings 4 felt in her situation…

Can you imagine how this woman must have felt, being bombarded with calls from her creditors to pay up or we’re taking your sons? Can you think of how distraught she must have been, all the stress and worry as time went on, wondering what she was going to do to solve her dilemma? As she poured her heart to Elisha, the prophet listened to the widow woman regarding her plight. She was in debt and could not pay her creditors, and was told they were coming for her two sons, to put them to slavery as payment for her bills. Elisha asked what he could do to help, but at the time, the woman said she had nothing in her house…except for some oil. The bible records that Elisha told her to get flasks from her neighbors, the oil was poured into as many containers as she could obtain, and with the selling of that oil, was not only able to pay her creditors and keep her sons from being thrown into slavery, but have oil left over, to use to sustain her and her sons.

What do you do when your situation elevates to a sitiation? Many are in a similar plight, as they are enduring not being paid as a federal government employees (me included). As of this writing, hundreds of thousands of federal employees are either going to work daily or being forced to stay home without receiving their pay checks, all the while dealing with their creditors, some of whom understand, and many who don’t, demanding the bills be paid. As saying goes, you can’t get blood from a stone, but this is a critical, trying and unusual state of affairs, an obstacle that appears to be insurmountable. Now this could be handled in a myriad of ways:

• worrying about it won’t solve the problem
• allowing the issue to invade your body with pain and stress won’t solve the issue
• But if you are a believer, being steadfast in faith, make your obstacle an opportunity

In his message Masked,  Pastor Michael Todd of Transformation Church spoke this:

“Obstacles and opportunities are almost the same, depending on who’s on your side.”

“So when God is on your side…When debt is in front of you, God says don’t retreat, step towards it, I’m Jehovah-jireh, your provider, I’ll meet every one of your needs…because your obstacle is no longer an obstacle, because if God be for you, who can be against you? “

So how do you view your problem when is becomes a situation and gets elevated to a sitiation? I vow to believe God will supply all my needs according to his riches in glory. I vow to make the shift from what appears to be an obstacle to a God-opportunity.

And I hope you will come back for Part II of this issue, but in the meantime, be strengthenized…