When people are suffering, they often, lose their FAITH, and sight of THE LORD *GOD*, without even being aware of doing so! When people are suffering, sometimes they cannot find gratitude, or thanks, and cannot see that many have it way worse than they. When people are suffering they tend to ask, "Why me?...
It is not only physical suffering, but suffering of any kind which brings people down into the flesh, and which tries the FAITH, thus the FAITHFULNESS, as one is taken into the mind, and the emotions, NOT functioning properly, as fear, and other effects of suffering, take precedence...
CHRIST JESUS suffered in this world, at the will, and hands of the people of this world, and ultimately, suffered FOR us, and not once did HE succumb TO the suffering, instead, HE held fast to THE WILL OF *GOD*, LEAVING us an example, and also, some PROMISES born OF HIS suffering! There are crucial lessons in HIM, and we do ourselves great justice to discover them, and meld into them!!!
You see, there are enemies everywhere; enemies which intend to take us away from our LORD *GOD*; enemies which aspire to diminish, and destroy what binds us to THE LORD, such as FAITH, FAITHFULNESS, endurance, perseverance, and so forth! What better way for enmity to affect us then when we are suffering? When we are weak, when we are fearful, when we are being challenged by affliction???
I am often, hard pressed to show someone how imperative CLINGING TO *GOD*, and FAITH ARE when facing the hardest, or worst of times, BECAUSE it is common to the human condition IN suffering to cling to the self primarily! People say, "Yeah but", as they struggle to grope with KEEPING THE LORD FOREMOST OVER what is challenging them! People will shake, shudder, cry, wail, and worse as the mind, and emotions LEAD them away FROM THE LORD, and they forget, oh yes, they forget just HOW IMPERATIVE it is TO HOLD fast to HIM!!!
RESPONDING to suffering is FAR different than being taken away from FAITH, FAITHFULNESS, and RELIANCE in THE LORD! We ARE going to respond, yet, we mustn't be LOST in responding! We mustn't ALLOW ourselves to be carried down, and taken over, for FAITH BELIEVES even when all hell is breaking loose! FAITH TRUSTS *GOD* OVER what is common to this realm! FAITH'S HOPE LIES IN THE LORD, for HE ALONE, CAN move us past what is of this world, according to HIS WILL, of course!!!
When we ALLOW suffering to take us to a point of consuming us, WHERE is our protection, WHERE is our safety, WHERE is THE LORD? You see, WHEN one opts to fall into the pits of suffering instead of crying out to THE LORD, and PRAYING, and RETAINING BELIEF, they have set themselves into a place of self-will, for they either FORGOT THE LORD, or are relying on themselves!!!
EPHESIANS 6: 13-18...
13+++Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
14+++Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
15+++and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
16+++In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17+++Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18+++And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Spiritual strength and courage are needed for our spiritual warfare and suffering. Those who would prove themselves to have true grace, must aim at all grace; and put on the whole armour of God, which he prepares and bestows. The Christian armour is made to be worn; and there is no putting off our armour till we have done our warfare, and finished our course.
The combat is not against human enemies, nor against our own corrupt nature only; we have to do with an enemy who has a thousand ways of beguiling unstable souls. The devils assault us in the things that belong to our souls, and labour to deface the heavenly image in our hearts.
We must resolve by God's grace, not to yield to Satan. Resist him, and he will flee. If we give way, he will get ground. If we distrust either our cause, or our Leader, or our armour, we give him advantage.
The different parts of the armour of heavy-armed soldiers, who had to sustain the fiercest assaults of the enemy, are here described. There is none for the back; nothing to defend those who turn back in the Christian warfare. Truth, or sincerity, is the girdle. This girds on all the other pieces of our armour, and is first mentioned. There can be no religion without sincerity. The righteousness of Christ, imputed to us, is a breastplate against the arrows of Divine wrath. The righteousness of Christ implanted in us, fortifies the heart against the attacks of Satan. Resolution must be as greaves, or armour to our legs; and to stand their ground or to march forward in rugged paths, the feet must be shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.
Motives to obedience, amidst trials, must be drawn from a clear knowledge of the gospel. Faith is all in all in an hour of temptation. Faith, as relying on unseen objects, receiving Christ and the benefits of redemption, and so deriving grace from him, is like a shield, a defence every way.
The devil is the wicked one. Violent temptations, by which the soul is set on fire of hell, are darts Satan shoots at us. Also, hard thoughts of God, and as to ourselves. Faith applying the word of God and the grace of Christ, quenches the darts of temptation.
To the Christian armed for defense in battle, the apostle recommends only one weapon of attack; but it is enough, the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. It subdues and mortifies evil desires and blasphemous thoughts as they rise within; and answers unbelief and error as they assault from without. A single text, well understood, and rightly applied, at once destroys a temptation or an objection, and subdues the most formidable adversary.
Prayer must fasten all the other parts of our Christian armour. There are other duties of religion, and of our stations in the world, but we must keep up times of prayer. Though set and solemn prayer may not be seasonable when other duties are to be done, yet short pious prayers darted out, always are so.
We must use holy thoughts in our ordinary course. A vain heart will be vain in prayer. We must pray with all kinds of prayer, public, private, and secret; social and solitary; solemn and sudden: with all the parts of prayer; confession of sin, petition for mercy, and thanksgiving for favours received. And we must do it by the grace of God the Holy Spirit, in dependence on, and according to, his teaching. We must preserve in particular requests, notwithstanding discouragements. We must pray, not for ourselves only, but for all saints.
Our enemies are mighty, and we are without strength, but our Redeemer is almighty, and in the power of his mighty we may overcome. Wherefore we must stir up ourselves. Have not we, when God has called, often neglected to answer? Let us think upon these things, and continue our prayers with patience.
ALL WE NEED EVEN in the face of suffering, IS FROM THE LORD, and IS *GOD* EMPOWERED, but which ONLY aids us WHEN we REMAIN IN HIM, NO MATTER what, IN FAITH, and FAITHFULNESS! YES, it is downright difficult at times, and YES, the flesh will try to take us from THE SPIRIT, but we do well to REMIND ourselves that we ARE OF THE SPIRIT, and thus RELY ON THE FATHER, SON, and HOLY SPIRIT, AS we remain confident, and comforted in spirit!!!
Fear IS an enemy, and a powerful one at that, and ALL enmity IS determined to remove us even ever so slightly FROM THE LORD, that it can work it's evils in us!!!
Just like Marriage, our RELATIONSHIP WITH *GOD* IS in sickness, in health, in good times, in bad times, we will HONOUR HIM WITH FAITH, and FAITHFULNESS! We WILL suffer in this realm, and we WILL react, but we MUST take care to NOT be overtaken, and lose sight of HIM, for HE ALONE IS our DELIVERER, our CHAMPION, our FORTRESS, our ROCK, our SURE and PRESENT help! It is SO easy for people to allow adversity to rule us, yet SO difficult for us to KEEP THE LORD AS our sole RULER; WHY is this? There are many reasons WHY, but the primary one is that when we suffer, we place more importance on self than we should...
BE STRONG IN THE LORD NO MATTER WHAT! Tests, trials, and tribulations ARE part and parcel to our Sanctification, Consecration, Salvation, and Inheritance, JUST as CHRIST JESUS also, endured, and withstood, THAT we have a PERFECT model to FOLLOW, AS we DO THE WILL OF *GOD* as did HE!!!
REV. LWINSOR © 2015
BIBLICAL, and/or other references marked BOLDLY IN COLOURS
HOW can HIS works manifest when there is doubt, fear, and all which is NOT of HIM? HOW can miracles be found when the being is closed to them in lack of TRUST? HOW can we be healed, and enabled when we don't RELY on the ONLY POWER able to do so? HOW are we to HONOUR HIM when we abandon HIM in our sufferings? HOW can we expect HIM to be there for us when we are not there for HIM???
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