WHAT ABOUT GOD'S CHILDREN FACING HARDSHIPS AND SUFFERING

 

WHAT ABOUT GOD'S CHILDREN FACING HARDSHIPS AND SUFFERING   

- This can be an area of conflict and confusion, as there are SEEMINGLY conflicting perspectives from people's Biblical point of view. Sometimes we favor one more than the other, but should we not accept both to the glory of God? Job said, "Shall we indeed accept good from God, and not adversity? In all this Job did not sin with his lips."   Job2: 10

 "There is a vanity which is done upon the earth; that there be just men, unto whom it happens according to the work of  the wicked; again, there be wicked men, to whom it happens according tot the work of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity." Ecclesiastes 8:14, "In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." John 16:33  "Behold, I give you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven." Luke 10:19-20, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. For everyone that asks receives, and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened." Matthew 7:7-8, "...But Trophimus have I left at Miletus sick." 2 Timothy 4:20.  "Surely He will save you from the snare of the trapper, and from the deadly pestilence." Psalm 91:3 "Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any merry? Let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you among you? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another and pray one for another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." James 5:14-16 "Bless the Lord O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all thy diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns your life with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. Psalm 103:2-5

 There are many more verses that we can find regarding our circumstances and the promises of God that can supply arguments for both sides: divine health and deliverance, and suffering and hardships. I want to divide up our life experiences into six categories: Life's Circumstances, Persecutions, the attacks of the Devil, Our own Folly, and God's Disciplines, God's purpose and glory. My concern is that in doing this I do not violate the Scriptures' face value by trying to make the Bible to conform to our experience and perspective. The Word of God is the Truth, whether our experience or understanding conforms to it or not. Any apparent contradictions are on our part, not His. "...let God be true, and every man a liar." Romans 3:4 And that includes me! Let's face it, we are called by Jesus to take up our cross and follow Him. The cross was an implement for SUFFERING AND DEATH. So what does that tell us?! And yet there is overcoming victory, divine help, unspeakable joy and full of glory... how awesome is that!

 There is a thinking in some of the venues of the Church that because we are children of God, none of these things should touch us: however, that is not what is stated in the Scriptures. "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all." Psalm 34:19 "In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I (Jesus) have overcome the world." John 16:33. "As it is written, 'For Your sake we are killed all day long, we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.' No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him Who loved us. For I am persuaded that, neither death, nor life, nor angles, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the Love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:36-39 As children of God, He has designated us to be victorious through all these things. This is not our home, we are pilgrims and strangers in this earth, and on our journey to our "Celestial Home" and our glorious resurrection. I also want to be upfront here, I also believe in divine health and deliverance, I see them all over the Scriptures, and at times I believe that we put up with things that we do not need to, but finding our place in each circumstance can be difficult. Look at the instances with the father whose son had an evil spirit, or the woman who had a spirit of infirmity (Mark 9:17-27, Luke 10:13-17). Perhaps even more important is that I also believe and see in the Scriptures are God Almighty's perfect sovereign will and purpose. In everything we must navigate our life by faith, trusting in the goodness and faithfulness of God our Savior and believe His Word regardless. 

 There is another thinking, is that when something goes wrong, that it is the will of God, or maybe He is punishing us (Read the book of Job). We must differentiate between God's will, and God's allowance, the devil's attack, and our own folly, to determine which, and how we could best respond, and not just accept everything sitting down.

WHAT ABOUT DIVINE HEALTH AND DIVINE HEALING?

 "Ask, and it shall be given you...for everyone who asks, receives..." Matthew 7:7-8

"And He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to them. And these signs shall follow them that believe; in My name shall they cast out devils, they shall speak with new tongues, they shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them, and they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.'" Mark 16:15-18 

"Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up. And if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him." James 5:14-15

  Now this gets difficult to navigate, as I said. True we must stand on the promises of God's Word, trust in Him, and God is faithful to His promise and the provisions and promises of God in Christ Jesus are far, far, more than we often appropriate. We can stand in His health and believe for His healing, yet how many beloved saints we know, have known, and even our own selves have been taken by sickness and diseases, even some who believe in divine health and healing? True, we cannot and should not bend the Scriptures to conform to our experiences or lack thereof, but there are an abundance of Scriptures to help us navigate our experiences without negating the absolute power, promises, and authority of God's Word. Jesus did say, "If you can believe. All things are possible to him who believes." Mark 9:23, "Have faith in God. For verily I say to you, that whosoever shall say to this mountain, 'Be removed, and  be cast into the sea,' and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he says shall come to pass; he shall have what soever he says. Therefore I say to you, what things soever you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them." Mark 11:22-24 Even in the Old Testament there are claims and promises, as in Psalm 103:2-5. "...all things are possible to him who believes." Mark 9:23

Looking at these verses, for instance, the onus is on our faith in the grace and will of God to see our desires and prayers achieved in Christ. It is obviously not on God's ability, nor any fallibility of His promises, which it is impossible for God to lie (Hebrews 6:18). Often we confuse believing that God can or will do something with KNOWING THAT HE WILL do something, which is faith in its most perfect form. We perhaps far over estimate our standard of faith. We know and believe that God can do anything, but the faith Jesus is referring to in the above verses declares that it will produce the wonders we would all like to see. How do we attain that kind of faith? Now, there is a mystery here. Jesus disciples asked, "'Increase our faith.' 'And the Lord said, 'If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you might say unto this sycamine tree, 'Be picked up by the root, and be planted in the sea, and it should obey you.' " Luke 17:5-10. Then He gave the parable of a servant, after working in the field was to first prepare for his master to eat, and afterwards he could eat, and at that, all without reward, that is just our duty. From His initial statement, this kind of faith is possible with anyone, and a very little goes a long ways. Understandably, the gifts of God and are unearned, and not according to our works and completely according to His will. In the final analysis, He simply expects us to obey Him and to put Him first, and He will work through us as He wills. Yet in everything, He keep challenging us to have faith. We can see an example of this tremendous faith in the case of  Joshua, discussed further on. 

 As with everything we receive from God, there is a level of Grace also involved in the kind of faith each of us have. Actually there is the gift of faith as stated in  1Corinthians 12:9 wherein certain individuals God grants them to operate in a higher than average  faith. This is an indication that our Heavenly Father knows we need help with our faith from time to time. Even the apostle Paul said, "...if I have faith to remove mountains..." 1 Corinthians 13:1, which is an apparent claim that he was not saying he had that kind of faith. I mean, how many of us can claim to have that kind of faith? But I will say for certain that it is altogether possible. Here is another point regarding that kind of faith. First of all it comes from God Almighty Himself, and according to His will, at least His permissive will, which means He expects us to ask. In regards to His permissive will, King Hezekiah, when the Lord told him he was to get his house in order because he was going to die, pleaded with the Lord for mercy. Hezekiah to that point served the Lord perfectly and reasonably begged for mercy to live longer, which God did and granted him fifteen more years. Yet during those fifteen years, Hezekiah became lifted up in pride and God had to humble him and his people. Furthermore, during those fifteen years, his son Manasseh was born, who was his successor and who became the ultimate downfall of Judah. "Surely at the commandment of the Lord came this upon Judah to remove them out of His sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that He did; and also for the innocent blood that he shed: for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, which the Lord would not pardon." 2 Kings 24:3-4 Now King Hezekiah's petition gained the Lord's approval, but was it perhaps not the Lord's first choice knowing what these fifteen years would lead to? This is an arguable point, so let's take it for what it is. For now I am calling it God's acceptable or permissive will.

  During the wars of  Israel when they were taking the promise land, Joshua spoke an extraordinary word of faith to the Lord (the mountain moving kind), "Then spoke Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and said in the sight of Israel, ' Sun, stand still upon Gibeon, and, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.' And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is it not written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hastened not to go down about a whole day. And there was not a day like that before or after it, that the Lord listened unto the voice of a man: for the Lord fought for Israel." Joshua 10:12-14

 This is a powerful illustration of the possibility of man flowing in the will of God to see His wonders. Can you imagine the massive disruption and corrections required in the operations of our solar system for that to happen, though that is nothing to our Almighty God and Father. Now there is something we must take note of here, is that God does not randomly interrupt His natural order of things any more than His eternal ordinances to please the whims of man. Joshua's action here perfectly aligned with God's agenda, so his declaration was granted. Man must be functioning according to His will. "Who has spoken and it come to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it?" Lamentations 3:37. "Then Jesus answered and said to them, 'Truly I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, for what He sees the Father do. For what things soever He does, these also does the Son likewise." John 5:19. You see, even the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, was not operating on His own, making His own judgments, but He was following the leading and guidance of His Heavenly Father. He is our example. As we follow the leading and guidance of His Holy Spirit, will we not see more of His miraculous power demonstrated in and through us? Paul called it, "...by the hearing of faith." Galatians 3:2-4 Here Paul points out that our salvation and righteousness before God is gained the same way God works miracles among us - by grace through the hearing of faith, without which it is a sure way to miss the Lord. "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." Romans 10:17 Faith requires us to believe the promises of God's Word. So in regards to divine health and healing, we know we must have faith and be standing on the promises of God's Word. What if we are, and still we are not attaining our goal for healing or deliverance? We are to embrace His grace for our situation nonetheless. When Paul was suffering from an affliction and petitioned the Lord three times, the Lord answered, "My grace is sufficient for you. My strength is made perfect in weaknesses." 2 Corinthians 12:8-9 Does that mean we stop standing in hope on the promises of God? Absolutely not. King David, when God had told him that his son would die, still prayed and fasted in the hope that the Lord would be merciful and spare the child, knowing God's compassionate and gracious nature. Although God did take the infant as He said He would, yet through it all, David did not change his confidence in the Lord's unfailing love and perfect judgment.

  Let's summarize attempting to obtain provisions from God. What do we know from the Scriptures:

                      - Everything is by grace through faith Ephesians 2:8 It is not dependent on our works, or righteousness. 

                      - It must be according to His Word (the Bible). The devil tried to tempt Jesus to invoke miracles from God His Father, and even used the Scriptures = tempting God, but the motivation contradicted the heart of the Word of God, which is obedience and submission to the Father's will. Matthew 4:1-11 

                  - Faith is the prerequisite - I imagine that we far underestimate how important our faith is to God, and how much He expects us to operate in it. The faith God requires will produce the results He promised. Often what we believe to be faith is perhaps really just hope, which is very important, or is really just an intellectual embracing of the Scriptures - which is good, but that may not hold the guarantee that actual faith does. The water here can get mirky, friends, so keep believing God's Word anyways. "Does He then, Who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by the hearing of faith." Galatians 3:5, "But without faith it is impossible to please Him." Hebrews 11:6,   "And I brought him to your disciples and they could not cure him. Then Jesus answered and said, 'O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with your? How long shall I suffer (endure) you?' Then came the disciples to Jesus apart and said, 'Why could we not cast him out?' And Jesus said to them, 'Because of your unbelief. For truly I say to you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say unto this mountain, 'Remove from here to yonder place, and it shall remove, and nothing shall be impossible to you.  but notice what He adds on here, (and some say this is not in the original manuscript. It is also confirmed in Mark 9:29) Howbeit, this kind goes not out but by prayer and fasting.'" Matthew 16:19-21 (Mark 9:29) This does not negate Jesus first statement, but He is merely giving us an aid when our faith is not where it could/should be, and a tool to help us overcome the resistance of our flesh.

                  - According to His will. "And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us; and if we know that He hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. 1 John 5:14-15 For some requests, we really need to know what the Bible has to say about it. John uses the situation of praying for a person who has sinned, 1 John 5:16-17. What? Does that mean we are doubtful that it is God's desire to heal us. If we are not getting any clear word from the Lord regarding our particular situation, we examine the Scriptures regarding what it says about our relative situation. Look at the ministry of Jesus. Did He turn anyone away who came to Him for healing? Has He or His will changed? If I am not well, I have no problem asking Him to heal me and I leave the results to Him. In some of the instances I know my faith wavers. In such cases I know I will have problems. "But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he who wavers is like the wave of the sea, driven of the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he will receive anything of  the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways." James 1:6-8 We know for certain that it is God's will to do us GOOD, but does that mean that it is always God's will to heal us? Did not God take Elisha by a sickness 2 Kings 13:14 This may be a hard pill for us to swallow, but God's will was to take David's baby. It wasn't a punishment to the baby, it was a punishment to David.

                 - Patience is often required. "For you have need of patience, that after you have done the will of God, you might receive the promise." Hebrews 10:36  I have mentioned this before. We do not realize what God may need to do in order to grant our petitions. How many incidents and people will He have to maneuver in order to answer, and at what price in order to answer our request? One extreme example is in Acts 12, when the church was praying for Peter's release. It cost the lives of several guards for him to be released. That is not something the Lord typically would do as Jesus did not come "to destroy men's lives, but to save them." Luke 9:56 This obviously has something to do with satisfying the governing principles of God, which He does not unjustly alter. More than a request must have been required for God to respond with that kind of price tag on those men's heads. So be patient, wait on the Lord, and give Him all the time He needs. God is well able to make it happen.

                 -  Is God looking for our perseverance/faith? How often does God refuse our requests?  We have already covered King David's and Paul's situations where the Lord did not answer their requests/desires. As Lord and God He has the right to do what He sees best, and as His servants we have the duty to peaceably comply. He always does what is best and right. But just because He does not respond right away or as we expect, it does not mean He is not intending to answer our requests? Be assured of this, our welfare and best interests are His priority! Did He not suffer, shed His blood, and die for us? "He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us , all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" Romans 8:32.  Look at the perseverance of the Syrophoenician woman whom the Lord seemed to ignore "But He answered her not a word." and even push away, "It is not right to take the children's bread and feed it to the dogs.", yet she refused to take "NO" for an answer. In response to her determination and faith, Jesus said/DECLARED, 'O woman, great is your faith! Be it unto you even as you will.' And her daughter was made whole from that very hour." Matthew 15:22-28 Is God indeed saying "NO" to you?

  Now I have just given Biblical reasons why our prayers and petitions might not be answered, but be most assured - JESUS CONSTANTLY EMPHASISED THE UTTER IMPROTANCE OF FAITH AND BELIEVING GOD, TO ASK, SEEK, AND FIND FROM GOD OUR HEAVENLY FATHER. So, dear friends, we can constantly give reasons, and even Biblical reasons why our exercises of faith may seem to fail, but we must NEVER lose sight of Jesus' admonitions to have faith and believe God!!!

  In conclusion, we stand on the promises of God's Word, fight doubt, and resign ourselves to the obedience of Faith knowing we can trust our Heavenly Father in everything. Furthermore, we should persevere in faith by exercising it. Step out wholeheartedly on the promises of God, and watch Him do wonders!

LIFE'S CIRCUMSTANCES 

"That you may be the children of your Father which is in Heaven, for He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on  the just and on the unjust." Matthew 5:45

 We are all in this world together, sharing the benefits and the hardships. We are all subject to the climate, the environment, and the storms of this world. Ah yes, there is a hiding place in Him as in Psalm 91, nevertheless, we are subject to getting cold, hungry, hurt, afraid,  and sick. Our flesh is our weakest point. Even one of the co-workers with the mighty apostle Paul was sick, "...but Trophimus have I left at Miletum sick." 2 Timothy 2:20. Did not the mighty apostle Paul have the faith to heal him? Our bodies are subject to injury, sicknesses, and diseases. If we trip on the rocks, expect to get hurt, or if we slip with a knife we can expect to get cut - a follower of Jesus or not. It is the same with sicknesses and diseases. If we are exposed, and for some reason, even a valid reason, our health can be compromised, we can get sick. As long as we are in the corrupted flesh, we are vulnerable. Is that not why one of the numerous glorious aspects of Jesus' ministry was and still is, healing, but we need to ask and believe, do what He directs us to, and leave the results to Him in full confidence? Now, what about the promises of Psalm 91? Soldiers have even testified of this being true for them in war. "I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God in Him will I trust. Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler, and from the deadly pestilence...You shall not be afraid for the terror by night, nor for the arrow that flies by day, nor for the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor for the  destruction that wastes at noonday..." 

  There are conditions for this, which should be all of our life in Jesus Christ..."He that dwells in the secret place of the Most High...Because He has set his love on Me, therefore shall I deliver him, I will set him on high because he has known My Name." Psalm 91:1,14 What beautiful promises that are available for all of us. For certain, if our efforts are not purely out of wholehearted love and affection for God, but primarily for our safety and deliverance from harm, we are completely missing the point.

OUR OWN FOLLY

"A man's own folly ruins his life, yet his heart rages against the Lord." Proverbs 19:3

"You shall not tempt the Lord your God." Deuteronomy 6:16, Matthew 4:7

"And Jesus seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, "My son, your sins are forgiven...'" Mark 2:5

"Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, 'Behold, you are made whole, sin no more lest a worst thing come unto you.'" John 5:14

  How often do we make a bad decision, walk in disobedience or presumption, reap the consequence, and then blame the Lord? God has made provisions for everyone to handle the day-to-day life troubles, and when we know what to do and not to do, if we ignore it, the outcome is our responsibility. For years I would seem to get very ill in spring. Then early one spring the Lord spoke to me and said, "Stop wearing yourself out." It was a complete revelation to me at the time, I was being foolish and presumptuous. I continually drove myself hard. I would live on less than minimum sleep, and I did not believe in taking time off. I thought it was a waste of time. Oh yes, I do believe in divine health and divine healing, and there is a place for it, but we are NEVER ACQUITTED OF OUR RESPONSIBILITIES. We may ask, "Just how far do we take our God-given responsibilities? After Jesus raised up Jairus' daughter He commanded that they give her something to eat. Mark 5:43 That which is our responsibility, we are to step up to the plate and not expect the Lord or others to carry us. There are times that the Lord is gracious, but there is a grownup time when we are to dress ourselves and brush our own teeth - in other words, recognize your responsibilities and be responsible.

 It is also imperative to point out that if we are walking in willful disobedience: 

A - we can expect the loving chastisement of the Lord ("Stern discipline awaits those who forsake the way..." Proverbs 15:10, Hebrews 12:5-11) There is no way of specifying what that will look like for each person and situation, but you can be sure, it will be effective. 

B - we can fall victim to the whiles of the devil who has come "to steal, and to kill, and to destroy." John 10:10, "Be sober, be vigilant,, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about , seeking whom he may devour.'' 1 Peter 5:8 Dear friends, we are in a war for our very lives and souls. This world is not our home, and we must never forget that our adversary does not take breaks. Our only protection is in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. All our wisdom, abilities, and strength outside of Him is useless in this battle. The devil does not care if you feel you need to take a break. If you let your guard down and live carelessly, he will take advantage. As the children's song goes, "Be careful little eyes what you see, for the Father up above is looking down in love, so be careful little children what you... Let's not be careless, arrogant, or presumptuous.  

(Also read God's Disciplines on Nations and Individuals).

PERSECUTION

"For Your sake we are put to death all day long, we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered." Psalm 44:22, Romans 8:36

 Persecution is part of the call to take up the cross to follow Jesus. "...all who will live Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." 2 Timothy 3:12 If Jesus and all His disciples, the prophets of long ago, and untold thousands of saints suffered and still suffer persecution today, should we expect any less? If we do not, and are yet living Godly lives, we are the exception and not the rule. In a world that is under the influence of the devil and opposition to the true and living God, what else should you expect?

  There are those who might feel they are suffering persecution for their faith, and maybe it is because they have been, ignorant, arrogant, self-righteous, in people's face, not being led of the Lord. Then when people retaliate they feel they are being persecuted, whereas people just had enough of their ignorance and inconsideration. How would I know that?

ATTACKS OF THE DEVIL

 As I already mentioned that we have a vile enemy who is bent on destroying us. We may accuse others of hurting us and doing us wrong, and maybe justly so, but we forget that the devil is using them to attack us. Remember that Jesus had to rebuke Peter for allowing the devil to tempt Him to reject the passion He was about to undertake, "But He turned and said unto Peter, 'Get thee behind me, Satan, you are an offense unto Me, for you savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.'" Matthew 16:23

 When problems, hardships, offenses, and even health problems arise, it is important to verify the source and the reason. NOT everything that happens to us is the will of God, not even His permissive will, so to speak. He does not typically forcibly override our free will and choices. Consider and inquire of the Lord. Were you being careless or disobedient. Has the devil gotten a foothold on you somehow? Were you exposed to attack through the negligence of someone else, typically an authority, like a parent or boss. Often health issues and accidents occur that way. By the way, in such cases, for healing to take place, especially from bitterness and resentment, forgiveness is an an absolute prerequisite.

 Is your trouble a result of a direct attack that you must ward off ? Our activities, duties, responsibilities... can take us into zones of spiritual conflict, that although they may seem just natural human issues, may very well be demonically driven. If so, expect hard and even strange things to happen. "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Ephesians 6:12

  Somehow, the woman who had a spirit of infirmity (Luke 13:11-12) and was bowed down for eighteen years, Jesus said that Satan had her bound. There is no indication of any guilt on her part, nor Him requesting her repentance, nor warning. According to the Scriptures, she did not even request to be healed. Is that not what happens when we have been afflicted for so long that we often resign ourselves to suffer, perhaps assuming that is the way it is supposed to be, or maybe that we even deserve it, or perhaps not realizing that there is help in Christ? The point here is that her affliction was a blatant attack from Satan. So, be careful not to resign yourself to every suffering and affliction that may come your way, but seek the Lord as to what the issue is and how to deal with it.

(For GOD'S Disciplines, follow the blog -GOD'S DISCIPLINES ON NATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS.)

GOD'S PURPOSES AND OUR SALVATION - BEING PREPPED FOR ETERNITY

"For as much then, as Christ has suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin." 1 Peter 4:1

"Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein you greatly rejoice, though now for as season, if need be  you are in heaviness through manifold temptations. That the trial of your faith being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 1:5-7

"And the God of all grace, Who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast." 1 Peter5:10

"It is a faithful saying: for if we be dead with Him, we shall also live with Him...If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him..."  2 Timothy 2:11-12

"For You, O God, has proved us, You have tried us as silver is tried. You brought us into the net. You laid affliction upon our loins. You have caused men to ride over our heads. we went through fire and through water, but you brought us out into a wealthy place." Psalm 66: 10-12"

"And as Jesus passed by, He saw a man which was blind from his birth, and His disciples asked him, saying, 'Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents that he was born blind?'  Jesus answered, ' Neither has this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.'" John 9:1-3

   More often than we realize, we tend to try and put God in a box, thinking we have Him figured out, especially those of us who are professing students of the Bible. True, there are things we know about Him for certain, like, "...and there is no unrighteousness in Him." Psalm 92:15, and that He never violates His holy, just, and righteous character through all His works. Dear friends, He is wise beyond all our comprehension, and we would be wise to sit at His feet and learn all that we can from Him in our day-to-day lives. The apostle Paul penned it like this while rejoicing in his spirit being filled with the Holy Ghost after expounding the revelation of God's plan of salvation for the world through His dealings with Israel, and the ultimate redemption of Israel, "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out! For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor? Or who has first given to Him, and it shall be recompensed to him again? For in Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things, to Whom be glory forever! AMEN!"  Romans 11:33-36

  We can get into our thinking that because we believe in Jesus, nothing 'Bad' should happen to us. Well there is a truth to that, "Misfortune pursues the sinner, but prosperity is the reward of the righteous." Proverbs 13:21, Psalm 91, "There were present at that season some that told Him of the Galileans , whose blood Pilate had mingled with the sacrifices. And Jesus answering said to them, 'Suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans because they suffered such things? I tell you, NO, but except you repent, you shall all likewise perish.'" Luke 13:1-3

  We see clearly that disaster is typically an expected end of those who do evil, though perhaps not necessarily all the time during this life. Still, for those who refuse to repent, judgment is ensuing. We won't get into that right now. But bad things can happen to the those who are righteous before God, and yet they are not deserving of it. The case of Job is a classic example. I want to emphasize that God put an entire book on the subject for many reasons, but one of them challenges the typical religious assumption that if something bad happens to someone, it is because God is judging or punishing them. Who knows, perhaps in some cases they are reaping what they sowed, or are being disciplined. Who doesn't deserve that? Truly the grace of God in Christ Jesus spares us from untold deserved disasters. In the Book of Job we see that God allows Satan to afflict Job with horrible disasters and suffering. We also see that God is fully confident that Job will remain faithful and trusting God. What is clearly displayed is how his friends assumed that Job must have sinned or had been a secret sinner to suffer such things. Now these were really good friends. After all, are you the kind of friend who weeps when we see your friend's disaster, and can sit speechless for seven days with and in grief for your friend? They were better friends than I tend to be. By the way, God was very angry with Job's three friends for the way they accused both He and Job. They falsely accused God saying that He was punishing Job, and Job because he was supposedly being punished because he was sinning. Job 42:7

  Out of it all God, our all-wise and all-knowing Heavenly Father accomplished many things, many of which it would be careless to speculate on right now (not that we can in ourselves know them all). It was an extremely harsh event. God was not just using Job's situation as an example for us. In many or most things God does, they almost always fulfill a multitude of purposes, but always for the ultimate benefit for those involved. Just look at the endless lessons, teachings, and incidents in the life of Jesus, Who's primary purpose was to redeem mankind. Job needed to learn some things about himself, about God, and in these areas align himself more perfectly and correctly with God. Little was he aware that he was nurturing self-righteousness and perhaps arrogance, which, if left unchecked, would have corroded his genuine faith and robbed him of all the blessings that God had in store for him. Dear friends, God is grooming us for eternity! Our life here is merely a stepping stone for the eternal life for which Jesus Christ purchased us.

  What do the Scriptures indicate that may need to be done, and what are some of the tools God uses? These not only glorify Him, but benefit all involved!

 - Foremost, He needs to PERFECT OUR FAITH.  "For we would not brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: but we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead." 2 Corinthians 1:8-9  All shelters are stressed tested by storms and extreme conditions, which is when they are needed the most.  We know the Foundation, our Lord Jesus Christ is Solid Rock, but what about the building of faith we assemble in our lives on this Foundation, will it carry us through every trial, temptation, and adversity that the world and devil throw at us? Is our faith built on feelings, past experiences, abundance of knowledge, good works, our disciplines in spiritual exercises, the influence of others (no matter how wonderful all these may be), or is it resting solely on God's grace and our faith in Jesus? Now we must understand that only God Himself can stage the trials we need to develop, strengthen, and solidify our faith. He orchestrates everything according to our need and character. He is all wise and knowing, and His work is PERFECT. "To Him Who is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy. To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen!" Jude 24-25

  One may ask, "Why do some seem to have it harder than others? Jesus said to Peter when Peter asked Him what would happen with John after Jesus just disclosed the kind of death Peter was to undergo, "If I will that he tarry until I come, what is that to you? you follow Me." John 21:22, God has His reasons and He is not accountable to us. He is the Potter, and we are the clay.  We also know that every person is different, yet He equips us all for the same goal - eternal life, the resurrection, and the advancement of His Kingdom here on Earth. Yet every person's life, character, needs, experiences, and even call are different, and God works with each of us accordingly. And we also know that in whatever He does, that He will only do what is right and good and what is best of us. To every individual He supplies all the grace we need to endure and succeed in whatever arena He places us in. "...My grace is sufficient for thee, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9 So, let us be faithful and abide in Him.

- The trials try not only our faith, but also our hearts. "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole Earth to show Himself strong in behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him." 2 Chronicles 16:9 Again, dear friends, the end product that God is looking for in us is whole-hearted devotion to Him, His will, and His ways. Do we follow Jesus on our terms or His?  It is great that we have faith in God, but if that faith does not produce the fruit obedience in our lives which is true love for God, how are we any better??? What is really in our heart?  Is the primary goal of our heart self- gratification? The commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourself Mark 12:29-31 If we have any other motives than these, our heart is needing a purging. The overflow of love toward God expressed by love toward His people, and towards all people should be the lasting fruit of our faith, "...show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works." James 2:18 What we do in our life reflects the faith and love of Christ that we exercise in our hearts? David, a man after God's own heart prayed, "Search me, O God, and know my heart, try me, and know my thoughts, and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Psalm 139:23-24

- In Christ, trials and tribulations strengthens our character and prepares us for the life He has called us to. "And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also, knowing that tribulation works patience; and patience, experience; and experience hope; and hope makes not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost who is given to us." Romans 5: 3-5 "In all these things we are more that conquerors through Him Who loved us..." Romans 8:31-39 "If you faint during the day of adversity, your strength is small." Proverbs 24;10 It is easy to follow Jesus when things are easy and going our way, but what are we like, and how is our faith when things don't go our way, and get hard, especially continually hard? Are we the same, and is our faith steadfast? What about our attitude and behavior when situations or people hinder or oppose us? If we submit to Christ in these things, our ability to serve and glorify Him will grow proportionately. Look at the life of Joseph as an example of suffering trials, injustices, humiliation, and hardship, all of which prepared him for the daunting task of governing Egypt and saving the regions from a deadly famine. "He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant: whose feet they hurt with fetters. He was laid in iron until the time that his word came. The word of the Lord tried him."  Psalm 105: 17-19. Here is a most amazing verse that Joseph told his brothers who so badly mistreated him, "But as for you, you thought evil against me, but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people." Genesis 50:20 All that he went through prepared him for what God had called him to do. His brothers were the hardest offenders to forgive and overcome.

- Suffering helps us overcome sinful habits and tendencies. "Before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I keep Your Word." Psalm 119:67 If we ignore the instruction of the Scriptures, the direction of the Holy Spirit, or even common sense, affliction may come your way to help you along. Let me give you a personal example. I was constantly giving over to anger and resentment, accusing people in my heart. I always felt justified and right. Without going into detail, this grew for a few years until it got unmanageable. At the height of my anger I was hit by a car while riding a bike. I woke up in the hospital a new man, humbled, reasonable, thankful and unable to recall how I was so angry. It was wonderful to be free of it, and it was well worth the light affliction. Still, I do not recommend that for anybody, so take you sins to the cross immediately, and keep taking them. Do not become weary in well doing, you will be delivered if you persist in faith. Sometimes the hard part is recognizing when we are in error. That is our open door to hardships.

- As we turn to Christ through our Trials and tribulations, they help us develop a more Godly and Christ-like character.  "Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered." Hebrews 5:8. In return we become more useful in His hands and are able to bear more fruit for His glory, and to the benefit of others. We may have habits or behaviors that need adjusting and pruning. They may not necessarily be bad, they just may need to the trimmed back a little. "I Am the Vine, and My Father is the husbandman. Every branch in Me that bears not fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He purges it, that it may bring forth more fruit." John 15:1 The beloved apostle Peter went through this. He perhaps was a little too self-confident that he most certainly would not deny the Lord. "And the Lord said to Simon, 'Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for you, that you faith fail not. An when you are converted, strengthen your brothers." Luke 22:31-32 Peter was indeed chosen for the ministry which God had called him, but in himself he did not have the fortitude of heart to accomplish the work he was to be called to do. That had to come from the mighty had of God and not his own assumed ability. The Lord had to break him, and then remold him into the servant he was called to be.

 "Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons For what son is not disciplined by his father?...God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." Hebrews 12:7, 10-11. NIV

 What are some of the means that the Scriptures reveal that God uses to disciple us?

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned neither shall the flame kindle upon you." Isaiah 43:2 Dear friends, we typically want to avoid as many adversities and hardships as possible, and rightly so, but their are times when our loving Lord and Savior wants to take us through them for our benefit, and maybe even the benefits of others. Again look at Job, David, Paul.... What would we be be like if we were to miss and avoid all the hardships of life? With Jesus, we can go through anything and it will only do us good. "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to HIs purpose." Romans 8:28

As we look at the above Scriptures and others, our trials, tribulations, oppositions, injustices, and afflictions can come from most any source, including our own failures. We see how God uses the unjust treatment of others, hardships, oppositions, and even direct attacks of Satan. Through it all we can be sure that - "There has no temptation taken you but such as is common to  man, but God is faithful, Who will not allow you to be tempted above that you are able, but will, withe the temptation, also make a way to escape that you ay be able to bear it." 1 Corinthians 10: 13  So remember, when we go through trial, tribulations, temptations, and whatever other kind of adversity, our duty is to humble ourselves and remain steadfast in faith to Christ. He will see you through to victory and bring you into a better place. How wonderful is that!!!

 SUFFERING AS HIS SERVANT

"I will show him how great things he must suffer for My name's sake." Acts 9:16 

"Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions for the sake of His body, which is the Church." Colossians 1:24

  In the service of Christ we must be ready and willing to face suffering, hardship, affliction, opposition. He sends us our as sheep among wolves "Matthew 10:16. True, we do not have the ministry of Paul and the other apostles, but look over the centuries even to this day the untold things disciples of Jesus have suffered and still suffer in the service of Christ while reaching out to a lost and dying world for the love of Christ. Should we expect comfort and security while people around us are in danger? Have we not already secured our eternal salvation in Christ? The work of the cross of Christ may require us to work alongside, endure alongside, and even suffer alongside of others in their world. Is that unreasonable? Is that not what love is? Is this not what Jesus did (2 Corinthians 8:9), leave heaven and became poor and suffer for our sake? These are not afflictions of discipline, but the sacrifices of faith and love. Is this is a dread, or is it OPPORTUNITY?!

CONCLUSION - Afflictions and hardships are expected in this life for everyone. This isn't Heaven, that is to come. When things go easily, be thankful and expect "goodness and mercy," and "times of refreshing", if they go hard, fear God and keep His commandments. He loves us so much and His goal for us is Eternal Life in Jesus Christ. So stay close to Him, avoid complaining, be wise, but don't let the devil push you around. Be patient, and Jesus will bring you through into an abundant place. He Loves you!!!