Your Suffering is Another’s Comfort
Current Mood:
Blessed
As Christians, though we would like to think we’re immune to sufferings, the truth of the matter is that we’re not. Just as Jesus suffered – in the form of persecution, beatings, trails and etc as followers and believers, we will encounter trails, tribulations (trouble, affliction) and sufferings too. However, “don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world” ( 1 Peter 4:12, 13).
Although suffering is something no person desires to go through, this is where a lot of purging, growing, molding and the cutting away of ungodly habits is taken place. It’s at times used for testing and preparation for what’s to come. This is where we learn to NOT to rely on ourselves, but on the Lord. Though we don’t like to think about it, the Bible gives us many positive outcomes of one’s suffering:
- “Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered” – Hebrews 5:8.
- “I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong” -2 Corinthians 12:10.
- “My suffering was good for me, for it taught me to pay attention to your decrees” – Psalm 119:71.
- “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing” – James 1:2-4.
Many times when we suffer, one of the first things we do is ask the Lord, “why am I going through this; Did I do something wrong; etc” But many times we give little to no thought to the lesson(s) God may want us to learn through our suffering. Oftentimes, God will allow us to go through something not because we done something wrong, but because we’re going to have to minster and witness to someone; there’s people waiting to hear our testimony – so that others my see the glory of the Lord.
An example of this would be – John 9:2, 3: [where one of Jesus disciples asked Him:] “Rabbi, why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?” [Jesus Replied:] “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him”. – Then Jesus healed the blind man and he was able to see.
Your sufferings (whether physically, emotionally, mentally, financially or spiritually) are not solely for you. At times your suffering is for another’s comfort and encouragement – to serve as a testimony in someone else’s life.
According to 2 Corinthians 1:3, “[God] comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort (encourage) others”. 2 Cor. 1:6 tells us when God comforts us, it is so we, in return, can be an encouragement to someone else – so that they may have strength to endure the same thing we suffered and went through.
As Christians we go through things and have to face obstacles we have no clue how to confront-whether that be an illness, hard ships on the job, finances, your marriage, relationships with people and etc. Though the bible on no account states that we’ll never suffer, I want to encourage you. Know that through your suffering comes comfort. God will comfort you during your time of trouble; and not only you, but He will use you to comfort (encourage) others too.
Today, let’s make a commitment to ask the Lord for strength, joy and peace during times of hardship, pain and suffering. A commitment to ask the Lord what is it He wants us to learn during a period of growing, cutting, purging and molding. Jesus already tells you that He’ll never leave you nor forsake you. He already told you that He’ll comfort you during your time of trouble. Whether you realize it or not, everything we go through on this earth (hurt, pain, suffering, trails, tribulations and etc) Jesus already has provisions with your name on it. Remember that during your time of suffering, the lesson you’ll learn may not always be solely for you, but for someone else too. Be confident that as you share your suffering (testimony) with someone else, you also share God’s comfort (2 Cor. 1:7). Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning (Psalm 30:5). May God give you strength, peace and joy in Jesus name; amen.
The Countdown – Dare to Declare 2009 Word Challenge
Filed under: Dare II Declare 2009 Word Challenge, Other, Prayers, The Faith Walk
Current Mood:
Faith-filled
Hello to All!
We are about 17 days into the Dare II Declare 2009 Word Challenge and I am sure that many of us have been tested since day 1 of the Challenge. Some may even say that things got even worst since they began the Challenge. I would like to take this opportunity to encourage you. Our enemy will always try to play mind games in an effort for us to be distracted or discouraged; however, I would like to remind you that there is Greatness in you: a Greatness that will NEVER forsake or loose you.
I know that I’ve personally gone through (and still going thru) some life-changing events that threatens the livelihood of me, my 4 children and my five-month old grandchild. In most cases it has been absolutely nerve-wracking, draining and sometimes downright terrifying. If I look at things from an earthly perspective I think I would’ve lost my mind already, believing that my circumstances are insurmountable and too much for me to bear. Just to list a few of my personal challenges right now: I received a certified letter from my mortgage company alerting me that they are executing foreclosure on my home NEXT WEEK. This of course could leave me and my family homeless and in the streets. I no longer have a vehicle, as my SUV was repossessed, so traveling is a challenge. On top of this, left side of my face is a little swelled and is in pain and I have other medical issues; however, my health insurance recently terminated.
Most of the things I am facing are brand new for me, having never gone through any of them before. It appears as though I’ve been stripped and I am the 1st to say that my life makes absolutely no sense from a carnal perspective. If I didn’t know me I would EVEN question my very own sanity because my life, especially over the last year, has been completely turned upside down. There was once a time not too long ago when I was able to go to Macy’s or the Coach outlet and shop for whatever I wanted without really caring about the cost. Christmases were filled with a variety of expensive gifts for all of my children and of course I would treat myself to a few goodies such as expensive jewelry (love my diamonds), travel or reserving a condo for myself just for the weekend to get away and have some me time. My vehicle was a Lincoln Navigator and I owned timeshare. In addition, my 2nd home was in the seat of my hairstylist of 5 years and as far as my credit, it was in pretty good condition. I had almost every major credit card known to man, from a Master Card to American Express and was deemed financially responsible by my creditors. I had an excellent payment history with my creditors and I felt good knowing that I had a few digits in the bank. However, now? My goodness, that is certainly not the case right now. The things I am facing are scary; yet, in the midst of all this, God tells me to “Hold your position”. He requires that I complete trust Him.
Let me be the 1st to tell you that trusting God is not always an easy task, especially when your back is against the wall, you see no way out and your potential outcome appears to be dismal and bleak. Whether received a horrific diagnosis from your doctor or being evicted from the place you call home. I dare not steer you wrong and tell you that it’s easy to trust in our invisible God when everything visible appears to be in utter chaos and you don’t have a physical person to lean on. These aren’t small things but big, life changing things, and even in some cases, life-threatening things; YET in all, the Lord still says “Stand”; for He is much bigger than any circumstance we have.
I can tell you that God is faithful to His Word, which is the only thing I have to stand on. Scriptures like II Corinthians 5:7, “We walk by faith and not by sight” becomes so incredibly real. We live everyday using and depending our senses: sense of sight, smell, touch, hearing and taste; however, the Kingdom of God requires that we disregard our senses and stand on our faith in God. From the carnal perspective, our situation seems so dire and absolutely grim; however, God asks in Genesis 18:14, “Is there anything too hard for the Lord?” He originally said this to Abraham in response to a comment made by Abraham’s wife, Sarah, when the Lord said they will certainly have a son. From a carnal perspective, they were both very old and having a child at their age would be completely ludicrous and absolutely impossible. However, it is written in Luke 18:27 that “what is impossible for man is possible with God“.
One thing I’d like to point out about Abraham is that Abraham only had a Word given to him by an invisible God. He didn’t have the Scriptures as we have today, neither did he have a slew of Christian books, podcasts, CDs and DVDs. The only thing he had was a Word. And you know what? There are times when that’s all we have, and at all times, this is all that we’d ever need. In order to depend on Him the way we need to, we must resist the temptation of relying on our senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell) and instead stand in faith in God’s Word – regardless of how the situation appears at the time. We know that faith only comes through the Word of God, so when facing your mountain, and in some cases, mountains, go to the Word of God so that your faith may be built up within you.
As men and women of God, we cannot live in a manner pleasing unto God if we walk in carnality aka flesh. We must have, walk and live by and in faith. Every man was given a measure of faith and it is up to you to build on that faith. Faith isn’t just simply saying “Well, I believe God”. It’s a lot more than that. Faith is actually the link or the substance between that which we’re hoping for and manifestation of that thing. The Amplified translation of Hebrews 11:1 reads:
NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].
We also know that faith requires action on our part; as James 2:17 tells us that faith without works is dead. The “works” or actions vary from person to person and circumstance to circumstance. The corresponding action to our faith can be something like taking a number of steps ordered by the Lord (actually following those steps) in preparation of that which we believe God for OR the action may be proceeding to petition a person of authority while believing God for a favorable outcome. That’s what happened to Nehemiah. Nehemiah was a Jew and one of the exiles taken captive from Jerusalem to live in Babylon. He was also a great man of faith, focus, and commitment, and was an excellent leader and problem-solver.
The book of Nehemiah begins with Nehemiah having a strong desire to rebuild the wall around the city of Jerusalem. He prayed to the Lord, asking Him for His favor to gain King Artaxerxes’ approval so that he could rebuild the wall (vs. 11). After his prayer, he then acted in faith by proceeding to speak to the king. And you know what? Because of his act of faith and confidence in God, not only did he receive the king’s approval to rebuild the wall but the king also granted a few additional requests made by Nehemiah. Nehemiah knew for certain that the only reason this happened was because of God, as he says in Nehemiah 2:8, “Because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests.”
Our faith always requires action on our part, whether it’s taking God-ordered steps, or standing still to see the salvation of the Lord (Exodus 14:13). Sometimes our corresponding action can be really simple or seemingly complicated; nevertheless, there is one action that must indeed accompany our acts of faith, and that is speaking words of faith. I recently wrote an entry titled The Perfect Synergy: Mind, Heart and Mouth, and it talks about the creative power that is released when we open our mouths. We all know the Scripture Proverbs 18:21, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit”; however, I would like to use The Message’s translation of this Scripture:
Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose.
I don’t think you can get any clearer than that! I would like to add that there is life-altering power when our heart, mind and mouth unite and we confess that which we believe out of our mouths; all being in alignment with God’s Word. Psalm 103:20 says that the angels hearken unto the VOICE of God’s Word and in Daniel 10:12, the angel spoke to Daniel saying, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. Our words are very powerful and during our Dare II Declare Word Challenge, we are going to use our mouths to produce much good fruit instead of poisonous, destructive fruit. The Psalmist says in Psalm 45:1 says that our tongues are as a pen of a ready writer. With that said, it’s time for us to write good things deriving from the bountiful blessings God has made available to us. It’s time for us to write a good future, one that lives and enjoys life in abundance, to the full till it overflows (John 10:10).
“It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak” II Corinthians 4:13.
Throughout the next few weeks, we will continue to diligently plant good seeds (word) onto good ground (our hearts and minds) so that in due season we can receive a good and marvelous harvest. One of my prayers is that this Challenge, or better said ‘mouth consecration’, is the catalyst for you to continue to declare and decree the things of God over your lives and throughout your lives. There is inherent power in our mouths, power that can lead to good or bad things in our lives. The reason why I titled it the Word Challenge is because not only will we be challenged to speak out our confessions but also we are challenged to resist speaking words contradictory to what we’re believing God for. We will resist speaking words of frustration, doubt and fears as well as resist the urge to pay more attention to our senses or problems than that which the Word of God says.
Beloved, it’s about time for us to use our mouths to build ourselves and others up. Jesus says in Mark 11:23 that we shall have what we say and Job 22:28 tells us that we can decree a thing and it shall be established. I like the way the Amplified translation reads:
You shall also decide and decree a thing, and it shall be established for you; and the light [of God's favor] shall shine upon your ways.
May your faith greatly increase. May the Lord harden you against any and all difficulties and lead you into greatness, wholeness and prosperity. May your relationship with our Heavenly Father be one containing mutual trust, faithfulness and love, and I pray for your obedience to the Lord and that your obedience to God becomes your life-long signature. I pray that you continue to grow in Him and may the Father bring you to a point where you’re able to effectively and genuinely share the good news with all you encounter. May you and your family prosper even as your souls prospers and may you continually dwell in the secret place of the Most High and abide under the shadow of the Almighty. These things I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Other Articles regarding the Dare II Declare 2009 Word Challenge:
D2D Challenge Update: Keep on Confessing!
D2D 2009 Word Challenge: Sample Confession List
It’s Not Too Late – Join in our Word Challenge!
The Perfect Synergy: Mind, Heart and Mouth
The Dare II Declare 2009 Word Challenge – Details, Instruction and Tips
FAQs: The Story Behind the Challenge
The Word Challenge – Coming Nov. 15th!
Other Resources:
‘Who I Am’ list that can be used on the Mouth Challenge aka the Dare II Declare 2009 Word Challenge
About the Author
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