Paul wouldn’t have said “in whatsoever state I am” if the only state he was ever in was blessed, prosperous, and healthy. In other words, Paul says, “I have learned what my mental attitude should be regardless of what has come my way.”
He goes on to say: I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need (v. 12). The phrase how to be abased, tapeinoo, means, “I know how to be humiliated, if necessary. I know how to bring myself low. I know how to be humble.” The phrase how to abound, perisseuo, means, “I know how to have abundance. I know how to have increase.”
When Paul says, every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need, he’s not saying, “I get out of faith so I suffer need, and I am in faith so I abound.” No.
The next verse says, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me (v. 13). The word do in the Greek is ischuo, which means, “I know how to exercise force. I know how to prevail whatsoever comes my way.” Thus, Paul is saying, “I can exercise force in whatever comes my way through Christ -the anointing, the power, the Holy Ghost -which strengthens me.” The word strengthen,endunamoo, means to empower. The anointing, or the Holy Spirit, will empower Paul.
Again, an immature reading of faith says that you are out of faith if you have any challenges, but Paul is saying, “I have learned what attitude to take when times are bad and when times are good; when my coffers are full, and when my checkbook is empty; when my body feels good, and when I can't get out of bed.” Why? Because he knows that through Christ he has power to deal with it.