Trials and Suffering

“Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.” – I Peter 4:12-19
Suffering is a real part of life, epically in the lives of Christians.
We suffer trials in -
physical
mental
financial
family
spiritual
and lots of other areas.
Christians have and will have trials, Jesus spoke of these in Matthew 5:11-12, “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”
Before you got saved, you were already in the hands of the devil; once you got saved Christ took you into the palm of His hands, and, while the devil cannot remove you from the hands of Christ, he can sure make your life and every part of it a nightmare if you allow him to. His goal? To keep you out of God’s will for your life and keep you from God’s very best.
So, why do we go through trials and sufferings after we become a child of God?
Some trials are meant to mold us into the image of Christ.
God is the Potter and we are the clay; “But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.” Isaiah 64:8.
When we are going through trials and sufferings, our faith has to be in God, not in ourselves or what we believe we can do, because apart from God, we can do nothing. We also have trials because we live in a sin-sick world; we have fallen from grace, we ourselves are sinners and we all sin daily.
Remember, the devil is the prince of the air of this world, he was thrown out of heaven because of his own rebellion and pride in wanting to be like God, and when he was thrown out, he took a third of the angels with him. “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.” Isaiah 14:12-15.
God has given us a way to protect ourselves from the firey darts of the devil, He has given us a full spiritual armor. Every morning our 5 year old and I put on the armor of God, going through each step, “putting” on each piece. Ephesians 6:10-18,” Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 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. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”
Job faced trial after trial, he lost everything. His trials, as ours, were allowed by God; “And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord.” Job 1:7-12.
Even though Job went through a terrible time, he never cursed or blamed God, even when he was prompted to by his wife and friends. In the end, God restored everything back to Job, more so then He took from him. “So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses. He had also seven sons and three daughters. And he called the name of the first, Jemima; and the name of the second, Kezia; and the name of the third, Kerenhappuch. And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren. After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, even four generations. So Job died, being old and full of days.” Job 42:12-17
The devil cannot control you {if you are a believer}, but he can sure mess up your ministry/life/marriage/job/testimony.
Christian trials are different than non-Christian trials. If your brother or sister is suffering or going through a trial, we are to be there for them, comforting them and giving them encouragement from God’s Word. “Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep” Romans 12:15.
The Bible tells us to count it all joy when we suffer trials, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” James 1:2-4
Jesus said, “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” Matthew 5:11-12
Sometimes we bring suffering upon ourselves.
We are sinful people, every day we sin. Some everyone can see, some, only God sees. Repent, repent, repent. God already knows we are going to sin, that is why He made it so very easy for us to ‘wipe the slate clean’ every day, even several times a day if we necessary.
We reap what we sow, even if we have repented of a sin, truly repented and put it behind us, when we were in that sin we were sowing seeds of the flesh, so, even though we put that sin behind us and start sowing seeds of the Spirit, we will still reap what we’ve sowed in the past. Galatians 6:7-8, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”
In conclusion, we suffer from time to time, but, one day it will all be worth it when we are sitting at the feet of Jesus praising Him.
Jenn

Embracing Destiny