Living Victoriously in Difficult Times

40-Minute Bible Studies

by Kay Arthur, Bob Vereen, Diane Vereen

When painful or frustrating circumstances invade your life, it’s easy to wonder why. Why does life so often seem unfair? Why doesn’t our all-powerful God stop the pain and suffering–not just for you–but for all His children

The truth is, we live in a fallen world filled with fallen people, and we cannot escape hardship and pain. Somehow difficult times are a part of God’s plan and they serve His purposes.

In this six week study you’ll examine what the Bible says about suffering and why God allows it. Through the stories of many who persevered through times of testing, you’ll discover how to find joy even when life seems unfair. You’ll learn how to handle loss while glorifying God in the midst of your pain. And you’ll find the peace that comes from trusting in the One whose strength is made perfect in your weakness.

96 pages, Paperback

First published February 17, 2004

About the author

Kay Lee Arthur was an American Christian author, Bible teacher, and co-founder of Precept Ministries International. Renowned for her accessible and inductive approach to Bible study, she helped millions engage deeply with Scripture. Arthur began her ministry informally, teaching teenagers in her living room alongside her second husband, Jack Arthur. Their work soon grew into a global outreach, headquartered in Chattanooga, Tennessee, under the name Precept Ministries International. She hosted the daily Bible teaching program Precepts for Life and became a respected voice in evangelical circles. Arthur authored numerous books and was a four-time winner of the ECPA Christian Book Award for titles such as A Marriage Without Regrets and The New Inductive Study Bible. Her ministry was rooted in a personal reawakening to faith in the early 1960s, following a divorce and a return to religious life. She and Jack also served briefly as missionaries in Mexico before founding their ministry. Arthur remained active in public faith-based initiatives into her later years and was known for her firm stances on social issues. She passed away on 2025 leaving behind a lasting legacy in Christian education and publishing.

Reviews

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A perfectly timed devotional study for these last 2 weeks... keep my mind placed firmly on things above and not on this world, believe in God, Trust in His Word and His Truth, and live obediently.
These studies are designed to be done in small group format 1x a week for 6 weeks and the "lessons" are designed to be about 40-45 minutes in length with Scripture reading, Observation worksheets, and discussion/reflection questions, but I (not meeting in a whole lot of in-person groups right now) decided to break it up and do half a lesson each day and completed the study in about 12 days and it was really perfect and flowed really easily. Covered OT and NT scripture, but the Truths were timeless and seamless.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rarely find a book written for a Bible study that I think is good. I usually think I'd be better if just reading my Bible, but this book was really great. It helped me break down the verses and look at what they said. It helped me slow down and think about God's message. The book is also written on a powerful topic that everyone struggles with. You should put this on your must read list.

[Olatomi Afilaka · Rating 5 out of 5]

The right book to sharpen you for this season

[Rachel Bishop · Rating 3 out of 5]

The only reason for the 3/5 rating is I just didn’t like some of the set up and things we did in the book … however the overall information and learning was excellent!!!!

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Living Victoriously in Difficult Times" is a no homework, 6-week-long Bible study. It's designed for small groups to do together once a week in a 40 minute period. The Bible study pretty much let Scripture speak for itself. It examined the lives of several people in the Bible who suffered (like Job and Paul) and what Scripture says about the reason and purpose of suffering and how we should react to it.

The study had people read several verses (which were included in the book along with information about the context of the verses), mark/highlight certain words, then answer several questions about what was just read. Insight boxes were included with historical information that helped make a verse or point more understandable.

The questions were helpful in focusing attention on all the points that needed to be looked at. In case you missed a point, the "wrap up" section at the end of each week's lesson summarized what was learned that week.

I enjoyed this study and thought it was well-written and made good points. Overall, I'd recommend this Bible study to new Christian believers or those who don't understand why a good God would allow his people to suffer.

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow start, but good

The message seemed to repeat the first half of the book. We read this in our bible study, and it wasn't what I expected. Good book. Just not great.