How to Overcome and Gain Victory in Suffering

August 19, 2019 by Leave a Comment

victory, suffering, character, Isaiah 54:17I’ve been watching a Netflix show recently about a group of young adults who, one and all, have had to overcome great obstacles and, in many cases, personal tragedy in order to reach their goals and be successful.  What’s interesting to me is that even though the series has a positive tone, it hasn’t pulled any punches or tried to gloss over the suffering that each of these characters has experienced nor has it failed to show the consequences of their decisions.  A few have thrived and really used the difficulties that they have faced to become stronger and wiser while others have tried to cope by running away or turning to substance abuse.  One, in particular, decided that his greatest problem was caused by some of the people close to him and that led him to act in a way that had truly tragic circumstances for several of them.

You could say then, that even though they were completely different people with varied backgrounds and abilities, what really defined them in the end was how they overcame adversity and responded to suffering.  And even though this was based on fictional characters and a fictional story, I am convinced that this is a lesson that we need to learn well and take to heart.  Our lives and our legacy will be, in large part, defined by how well we overcome adversity and the character that we show while experiencing suffering.

One of the main characters in the show was a young lady who struggled and made it through law school but as a result of her singular focus on passing the bar exam she developed very bad eating and sleeping habits that led to weight gain and poor overall health with some serious side effects.  She had to learn how to be a healthy person and treat her body with the same attention and care that she gave to her learning while still taking care of her responsibilities at her job and in her home.  She likes to say that she isn’t the smartest or most attractive but that once she puts her mind to it, she can do anything and over the course of the series she displays this same plucky attitude over and over again and refuses to ever give up or quit.

This type of positive thinking and inner fortitude is admirable and makes for good television but, in the real world, it often doesn’t work like that.  There are some chains that just can’t be broken, some illnesses that can’t be overcome and some problems that can’t be solved by positive thinking and inner strength.  With all of the things that afflict us, both from without and within, there is only one power and one solution that can overcome the greatest obstacle time and time again.  That power belongs to God and God alone but is available to us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

Many problems, many obstacles and many afflictions and not one of them can stand in the face of the power of God Almighty.  At the sound of His name every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord and even Death itself must give way.  In Him there is hope, there is strength, there is love and there is forgiveness.  Whatever we have faced in the past, are facing today or will face tomorrow He can redeem it and give us the ultimate victory.  This is God’s promise to those who would give Him their hearts and lives and this is the best response to the obstacles we face and the suffering we must endure.

Whatever it is, cry out to God and give it to Him.  Admit your inability to solve it on your own and confess your trust in Him.  Then, prepare to be amazed with God and His work in your life!

No weapon formed against you shall prosper,
And every tongue which rises against you in judgment
You shall condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
And their righteousness is from Me,”
Says the Lord.  Isaiah 54:17 (NKJV)

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How God Provides

July 22, 2019 by Leave a Comment

Our God is the creator of heaven and earth and by his power all things were created and all things are sustained. We have no thought, no substance and no existence except by him and through him. He provides life, inspiration, nourishment and, most importantly, his presence and power to those he loves and chooses.

God’s provision is both a past, singular event in which he created this world and all of the systems that govern it and an ongoing, daily occurrence in which he continues to interact with this world and his people in order to meet their needs. How God provides is completely dependent on his purposes and, even though we sometimes fail to understand, will always bring about his perfect will.

I am reminded of a brother in Christ that I recently met with for the purpose of prayer and encouragement. This brother was struggling with some physical infirmities that were making daily life very difficult and uncomfortable and he was weak both physically and mentally. It is accurate to say that he was depressed and felt that his physical outlook was bleak but, being a believer in Christ, still desired to honor God with his attitude and actions.

Still, and as I have so many times in the past, I wondered why God would allow one of his precious children to go through something so painful and difficult. I wondered why God, despite many visits to the doctor and many tests, had not provided a remedy to this disease.

I think we’ve all been there; to that place where we don’t doubt God’s intentions but we are nevertheless perplexed by his timing and how he seems to be still in our time of need. We know he still loves us. We know that he has promised to never leave us or forsake us. But why does he sometimes choose to allow us to linger in a place of pain and uncertainty?

All I can say to that is that I choose to believe in his word and his promises.

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 (NASB)

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4 (NASB)

Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. James 1:12 (NASB)

For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison 2 Corinthians 4:17

And when God’s word is considered and we view our present circumstances in the light of his eternal plan it may not change our situation but it will change our outlook and improve our understanding of what he is trying to accomplish. God may not always provide what we want or when we want but what he provides is always better, always at the perfect time and always worth far more than anything we could ask or imagine.

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Suffering Is Spiritual Resistance

March 27, 2017 by Leave a Comment

suffering, spiritual growth, maturity, painLet’s use our imaginations for a moment.  Imagine a person who is born into a situation where they have absolutely no responsibility, no needs that go unmet and no impetus for movement beyond basic biological functions.  This person has all of their meals prepared and delivered to them in their room and they are not even required to leave their bed if they don’t want to.  They are not made to learn or to go to school.  They are not required to clean up their own space and have no chores or work assignments beyond merely existing.

Growing up like this, what kind of adult would be produced?  What does your imagination tell you about such a person?  Mine tells me that they would be completely unable to function in normal society, spoiled and lacking in empathy and compassion for others.  Furthermore, they would be fairly useless in any sort of constructive capacity.  In other words, they would be of no help to anyone else (and this is important to remember for the basis of our discussion – as you will see in a moment).

The fact is that in this life almost all of what makes us usable and constructive human beings comes from us meeting some kind of resistance along the way and learning to overcome it.  An easy example to use is that of education.  Facts and figures and logical principles don’t come naturally to most of our brains.  When we first encounter a math problem it seems utterly alien and strange but with a good teacher and some practice we can learn to add and subtract and do all of those things that are required for us to learn basic math.  But unless we pit our brains against the problem of learning how to add and subtract and then do the work required to practice and memorize those skills then we will never progress in our education.

And so it goes with our spiritual walk.  We begin our lives in Christ with simple faith in Jesus and what he has done for us.  But to become useful and constructive Christians we have to meet some resistance along the way and learn to overcome it not by our own strength but by the power of the Holy Spirit and in Jesus’ name.

Allow me to be very personal here for a moment.  Not because I enjoy talking about myself but just to be as real and as transparent as possible.  The last year or so I have had some physical challenges to face.  I seem to have become progressively more sensitive to certain foods and have spent a lot of time in at least some degree of digestive discomfort with all that that entails.  In the process of learning what I can eat and what I must avoid I have also lost a lot of sleep and developed various and sundry body and joint aches (most likely due to not absorbing my food properly).  I’ve had days where I was sick to my stomach, exhausted and aching in various places and I got up, went to work and did “life” anyway because it was the right thing to do and stopping is not an option.

In all of this I wondered where God was and what He was trying to accomplish in me through this experience.  And to tell you the truth I still don’t know.  There might be an “ultimate” answer down the road or it might be that God is just trying to grow me up spiritually by providing some increased resistance in the form of suffering.  I’ve come far enough to know that I don’t need an answer.  I just need to be faithful and believe that anything that comes against me God has already given me the power to overcome in Jesus’ name.  I can say this with confidence because I’ve come through those days and can look back and see God’s faithfulness and love for me even when I was at my worst.  And I’ve learned to trust Him for deliverance because He has delivered me over and over again as I cried out to Him.

But it isn’t just about me, is it?  The reason is far more important than I.  It’s about me being able to tell you and anyone else who will listen that Jesus is not only savior He is also deliverer and the one who comforts and heals.  And it’s only because I’ve experienced it firsthand that I can now testify to God’s grace and tell you that He alone is sufficient.  The fact of the matter is, God can use one person’s suffering to teach and encourage many souls and the value of that teaching and encouragement has vast eternal worth.

 

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How Genuine Faith Is Formed

August 15, 2016 by Leave a Comment

suffering, 1 Peter 1: 3-9, faithHave you ever said to yourself “I don’t like this, I don’t understand why it’s happening and I wish it would go away!”  If you are like me then you have likely uttered similar statements or had similar thoughts on more than one occasion.  It seems to be part of our human condition to face adversity and to be in the midst of difficult circumstances no matter who you are or where you might be.

From a Christian perspective, we should understand it is Sin (notice the capital “S”, as in the fallen state of all creation) that is the root cause of the trials that we face but that knowledge doesn’t necessarily help us cope.  No, we need more than knowledge of the problem to stand firm and strong in our faith when we are facing a trial.  We need that constant connection to God the Father through the Holy Spirit in prayer and meditation on His Word, the Bible.

And the Bible, being one of the first and most important places to go in our distress, has a lot to say about the problems we face during this life.  In the 1st Book of Peter, we find the following:

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your faith,being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,9 receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:3-9 (NKJV)

I’ve included verses three through nine because they form a complete thought and need to be read and understood together but take a closer look at verses six through nine.  In the midst of our rejoicing (because of what is coming and is yet to be revealed, God’s ultimate gift to us!) we might be grieved (troubled) by various trials, if need be.  And why would we need to be troubled?  What purpose is served by the problems we face and then overcome with God’s help?

Genuine faith!  God works through all circumstance, good or bad, to produce in us a genuine faith that is more precious than gold and has as its goal the praise, honor and glory of God.  And what is the end of that faith?  What is the sum total of all that God is working in and through us?  The salvation of our souls and eternity with our savior.

Something that is genuine is true.  It is the real deal.  When placed under stress its true colors shine forth and there is nothing fake or artificial about it.  If it’s real, God knows it and people can see it in us.  Can people see a real and genuine faith in me?  Can they see it in you?

To get to that point of having a real and genuine faith we are going to have to go through some things that we might not like and that might be painful.  During those times it is only natural to search for answers.  As we are searching, I pray we would remember the Apostle Peter’s words to us as recorded in First Peter verses three through nine.  God’s still working on us.  He’s not finished yet.  Hang in there and keep the goal in sight.  It will be well worth it all.

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