1 Peter 2:21(KJV), For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps
INTRODUCTION
This is the aspect of chistianity I disliked with passion. Why should I suffer as a child of God? I thought to myself: Jesus Christ paid for my sins and it’s consequences through suffering and His crucifixion at Calvary cross, therefore I ought not to suffer; His suffering should suffice.
Our conviction as Christians should be based on the Word of God and not on our thoughts, feelings and assumption. A lot of Christians feel the same way I did,as such whenever they partake in suffering, persecution, trials or discipline;they compromise.
Hebrew 12:10 KJV For they verily for a few days chastined us after their own pleasure; but God for our profit, after we might be partakers of His holiness.
Suffering is a fundamental biblical principle designed specifically for the believers benefit.it is designed as a stepping stone and not a stumbling block. This book will reveal the necessity of Suffering to the believer.
HAPPY READING.
THE CONCEPT OF SUFFERING
The term ‘suffering’ is synonymous with pains. It is an unpleasant experience. It can be described as any experience in one’s life that causes him or her pains, whether physically or mentally. No right thinking individual enjoys Suffering. The word Suffering is a generic term; there’s no experience that singularly or specifically defines it. Different individuals experience different kinds of Suffering. One may not consider as Suffering what another describes as Suffering.
Based on this fact, there’s no individual who is exempted from Suffering yet it depends on what he describes as Suffering. It is not peculiar to any person or group of persons.
Job 5:6-7 KJV Although affliction commeth not forth from the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground; Yet man is born to trouble,as the Sparks fly upward.
Suffering is a general or natural phenomenon irrespective of Faith,Race,Age, Educational or Financial status. Every human being has his or her own fair share of Suffering. Life is full of ups and downs,thicks and thins,, storms and turbulence, difficulties and hardships: circumstances that confront our existence, causing us pains, discomfort and sorrow.
Suffering is either man-made or satanically orchestrated by the activities of the kingdom of darkness. When one suffers as a result of his or her actions or inactions;or as a result of the actions or inactions of others,it is man-made suffering. One can be the architect of his or her own Suffering by the things he or she does or fails to do. Also an individual can suffer from the actions and inactions of others. Wicked activities of people can cause Suffering for others. For instance, parents can suffer because of their children; husbands can suffer because of their wives; citizens because of their rulers; employees because of their employers; students because of their teachers; followers because of their leaders; siblings because of other siblings; friendships because of friends or enemies and vice versa.
Similarly, some Suffering are satanically orchestrated by the unseen activities of the powers of the kingdom of darkness
Ephesians 6:12 KJV 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
It is unarguable that there are spiritual activities in the unseen world or realms of existence responsible for afflicting people with pains.
John 10:10 KJV The thief commeth not, but for to steak, and to kill, and to destroy..
The objectives of the devil is to subject people to pains, discomfort and sorrow. Whether the Suffering is man-made or satanically orchestrated, the effect is usually painful.
Genesis 1:26.28 KJV And God said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. And God blessed them, and God said unto them,be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Man was not created to suffer. Man was created in the image and in the likeness of God; He was blessed by God to have dominion over the earth. Everything that man needs was provided by God; But when the nature of man was altered by Adams disobedience to God: Suffering Was initiated.
Adams act of disobedience did not only alter the nature of man but also altered the course of nature. The blessed life of the divine nature changed into a carnal life of Suffering. The carnal nature is subject to the devil whose objectives on earth is to steal,kill and to destroy.
Whether the Suffering is man-made or satanic; The course of nature have been affected; Suffering have become a natural phenomenon.
SUFFERING AS A BELIEVER
1 Peter 4:16 KJV Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
Wrong presentation of the gospel can make someone assume that the Christian Life is devoid of Suffering. There’s no gainsaying that a Christian is called into the gracious, victorious and glorious life in Christ; he is also called into the Suffering of Christ.
Hebrew 3:10 KJV For it became Him for whom are all things, and by whom are all things.in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through Suffering.
Jesus Christ was made perfect through Suffering. Jesus suffered both physically and mentally. Jesus was aware of the manner of death He was going to die and when it was time for Him to be delivered unto death, He became so sorrowful.
Matt 26:37-39 KJV And He took with Him Peter, and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very weary. Then saith He unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death:tarry ye here and watch with Me. And He went a little further and fell on His face, and prayed saying O My Father,'if it be possible, let this cup pass over Me: nevertheless not as I will but as Thou wilt.
Jesus suffered betrayal from His friend,Judas Iscariot, and was arrested.
Matthew 26:50 KJV And Jesus said to him, friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus and took Him.
He was abandoned by His disciples
Matt 26:56 KJV But all these was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.
They tore His clothes publicly and accused Him wrongly.
Matthew 26:65 KJV Then the high priest rent His clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy: what further need have we of witnesses: Behold now ye have heard His blasphemy.
He was mocked and slapped,they spat on His face, scourged Him, stripped Him of His clothes, forced Him to carry the cross and crucified Him. He was forsaken by the Father.
Matt 27:46 KJV And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying,Eli,Eli,lama sabachtani: that is to say, My God, My God,why has thou forsaken Me?
Someone might say,if Jesus has gone through all these pains to save me and I received salvation as a free gift by my faith in His finished works,why should I suffer again? The idea of Suffering,to such persons; it’s a contradiction to the finished works. Why should a Christian suffer?
1corithians2:7-8 KJV But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory. Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
One of the difference between a believer and an unbeliever is that believers walk by faith.
2corithians 5:7 KJV For we walk by faith and not by sight.
An unbeliever is controlled by the things he sees: but a believer beholds the unseen,believes the unseen and becomes the unseen. This is a mystery. It is called the hidden wisdom of God. The princes of darkness cannot comprehend this truth. Although Jesus was betrayed by His friend, arrested by the multitudes, abandoned by His disciples, accused by His own people, crucified by the officials, forsaken by God;yet all these were to fulfill the scriptures of the prophets.
The Suffering of Jesus and His crucifixion was ordained by God even before the foundation of the world. It is the perfect will of God that Jesus will suffer and taste death to bring man unto glory.
1 Peter 2:19,21 KJV For this is thankworthy,if a man conscience towards God endures grief, Suffering wrongfully. For even hereunto were you called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His stepy.
This is the aspect of the gospel many preachers hardly talk about. It is true that believers have been called into the gracious, victorious and glorious life in Christ Jesus;yet it’s also a fundamental new testament truth that believers are called into the fellowship of Christ Suffering.
Matt 6:24 KJV Then said Jesus unto His disciples,'if any man will come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.
Jesus made this statement before going to the cross. Jesus’ cross implied His Suffering and crucifixion. In other words Jesus was saying that if anyone desires to follow Him or become His disciples, he should desire to partake in His Suffering.
Phil 1:29 KJV For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake
The Suffering of the believer is a prerequisite in his walk and work with Christ.
Phil 3:9-10 KJV And be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law but that which is through faith in Christ Jesus. The righteousness which is of God by faith: that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His Suffering, being made conformable unto His death.
The gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ must be rightly presented, taught and believed. The Suffering of the believer is a call into the fellowship of Christ”s Suffering.
ROM 8:14-17 KJV For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry,Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. And if children,then heirs, heirs of God, and joint heir with Christ,if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together.
The Suffering of the believers is not an error neither is it a contradiction to the finished works of Jesus Christ at Calvary cross.
2 Timothy 3:12 KJV Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
The godly life is incomplete without Suffering. A believer that does not understand and accept this truth cannot live the godly life.
1 Peter 2:19-23 KJV For this is thankworthy,if s man for conscience towards God endures grief, Suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it if when ye be buffetted for your faults,ye shall take it patiently? But if when ye do well, and suffer for it,ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth: Who when He was reviled,reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not;but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously.
Jesus suffered, leaving us an example to follow as believers. Therefore a believer ought to suffer for the sake of Christ and not for wrongdoing;past sins or present sins; foundational curses nor as a result of bondage or captivity of the powers of the kingdom of darkness.
THE BENEFITS OF SUFFERING TO A BELIEVER
The Suffering of the believer is a necessity. It is a fundamental new testament reality. Every believer must accept this truth in order to live the gracious, victorious and glorious life in Christ.
Hebrew 12:2 KJV looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith,Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Jesus Christ is the author and the finisher of our faith;we must lean on Him and learn of Him. We must take example from Jesus. During the Suffering and crucifixion of Jesus, the princes of darkness and the unbelievers were seeing the pains and the shame of the cross; but Jesus saw beyond that. Jesus saw the Joy and the glory of the cross.
Phil 2:8-11 KJV And being found in fashion as a man; He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death on the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The Suffering and crucifixion of Jesus was a necessity to His glorification. Jesus became man in order to taste death for all Mankind.
Hebrew 2:9 KJV But we see Jesus,Who was made a little lower than the angels for the Suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
Jesus was made a little lower than the angels. He became man in order to suffer and die. Having suffered and died, He was made better than the angels and obtained a more excellent name than theirs; for every names are subject to His name. The glorified Jesus lives forever. He cannot die, He is sitted at the right hand of the throne of God.
1 Peter 4:1-2 KJV For as much then that Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh,arm yourselves likewise with the same mind, for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men but to the will of God.
Suffering subjects the flesh under the control of the Spirit. Jesus suffered and crucified sin in the flesh in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not according to the flesh but according to the spirit.
2 Cor 12:7 KJV And lest I should be exalted about measures, through the abundance of the revelations,there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me,lest I should be exalted above measures
Paul was afflicted with a thorn in his flesh, which he referred to as a messenger of Satan. But Paul realized after praying concerning the affliction that the benefit of the Suffering was to subject his flesh under the control of the spirit,lest Paul would become proud. Believers should look beyond their Suffering in order to see the benefits.
Suffering is a prerequisite for partaking in the glory of Christ.
1 Peter 4:13 KJV But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ''s Suffering: that when His glory shall be reviewed,ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
A thorough study of the Bible reveals that Suffering precedes glory
2 Cor 4:17 KJV For our light affliction which is for a moment,worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory
Every believer who shares in the fellowship of Christ”s Suffering will likewise share in the fellowship of His glory.
2 Cor 2:12 KJV If we suffer (with Him),we also reign with Him: if we deny Him, He also will deny us.
As painful as Suffering is, it’s a necessity. In order to experience the Glorious life in Christ Jesus, Suffering should be considered as a stepping stone and not a stumbling block.
ENDURING SUFFERING
Hebrew 10:36,38 KJV For ye have need of patience, that after ye have done the will of God,ye might receive the promises. Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, My soul shall have no pleasure in him.
The benefits of Suffering does not come without the pain. Although we anticipate the benefits;we have to deal rightly with the pain. Any believer who wants to enjoy the benefits of Suffering, must be willing to endure the pain.
Heb.12:2 KJV, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Jesus’ cross symbolises His suffering and crucifixion. Any believer who wants to enjoy the benefits of suffering must be ready to endure the cross. In other words the believer must endure the pains, sorrows and discomfort of suffering.
Hosea 4:6 KJV, My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: Because thou hast rejected knowledge,I will also reject the, that thou shalt be no priest to Me, seeing that thou hast forgotten the laws of thy God,I will also forget thy children.
The believer must know that suffering is a fundamental biblical principle and a new testament reality. He or she must believe and accept it wholeheartedly as a necessity and not a contradiction to the finished works of Jesus Christ at Calvary cross. Knowing and understanding the truth position the believer into enduring and triumphing over suffering.
John 8:32 KJV, And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.
I was a victim of ignorance to this truth. I believed so much in the finished works of Jesus Christ and I so desired to experience the glory and nothing less and so whenever I am faced with challenges and suffering,I become devastated and discouraged and gave up my conviction. Rather than seeing suffering as a privilege and a stepping stone to the glorious life in Christ Jesus;I saw it as a contradiction to the finished works of Calvary. I did not know that suffering is a necessity.
1 Tim 2:4 KJV, Who will have all men to be saved and come unto the knowledge of the truth.
The truth is Jesus Christ. The gospel is all about Jesus Christ : His finished works on the cross at Calvary. The gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ must be rightly preached, understood and believed. Believers suffer most from wrong teaching.
Christ is the centrality of the gospel. He is the gospel. Knowing the truth means knowing Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is our perfect example. Jesus is set down at the right hand of the throne of God after He endured the cross. It is expedient for the believer to know how Jesus was able to despise the shame and endure the cross.
Mark 14:34-36 KJV, And saith unto them,My soul is exceedingly sorrowful unto death,tarry ye here and watch. And He went forward a little and fell on the ground and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. And He said,Abba, Father,all things are possible unto Thee; take away this cup from Me: nevertheless not what I will,but what Thou wilt.
Jesus knew that He would suffer and die the shameful death of the cross. He knew the benefits of His suffering and He also knew the necessity of enduring the suffering and so He prayed. Prayer is an invitation for Divine intervention. Believers need Divine intervention to endure and persevere the moments and pains of suffering.
Isaiah 38:1-2,4-5 KJV, In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him,Thus saith the LORD,set thine house in order : for thou shall die, and not live. Then Hezekiah turned his face towards the wall, and prayed unto the LORD. Then came the word of the LORD to Isaiah, saying,Go, and say to Hezekiah,Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father; I have heard thy prayers,I have seen thy tears : behold I will add unto thy days fifteen years.
Hezekiah prayed when he suffered physical affliction against his health and mental pains from a death prophecy. He was due to die. The prophecy confirmed that the sickness was unto death. Nothing could have saved Hezekiah from these physical and mental pains but prayers.
The role of prayers in times of suffering cannot be overemphasized.
James 5:13 KJV, Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray : Is any merry? Let him sing Psalms.
If there’s anything worth doing in times of suffering; it is prayers. Prayers is needful while enduring the shame, humiliation, pains, sorrows and discomfort of suffering. Rather than being sorrowful in moments of suffering,be prayerful.
Job 42:10 KJV, And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends : also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.
God delivered Job and restore to him twice as much as he had before when Job stopped complaining and defending himself and started praying.
Heb.12:2(KJV), Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; Who for the Joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God
There is no gain saying that suffering is an experience or moment of pains, sorrows and discomfort. In other words, suffering has the tendency to make someone sorrowful. Being sorrowful in moments of suffering won’t enable the believer endure the suffering efficiently or beneficially but the believer becomes weary and fainthearted.
In order to receive the glorious benefits of suffering; the believer needs to endure the pains. The believer should avoid becoming sorrowful because sorrows only create room for weakness or weariness. Sorrows weakens the strength needed to endure suffering.
God expect us to endure suffering. It is a moment when we prove our confidence, conviction, faith and trust in God. The moments of suffering is actually a trial or testing of the believers courage in God. A believer is not supposed to become weary, fainthearted or loose faith in God in times of trials: persecution or suffering. A believer who knows and understood that suffering produces a great harvest of benefits,does not consider the momentary pains, discomfort and sorrows above the benefits and becomes weary; rather the believer should consider the benefits of suffering above the pains, and become joyful. Jesus was able to endure the pains, discomfort and sorrows of the cross; and despise the shame because of the Joy that was set before Him: The joy of the benefits of His suffering.
Matt.5:11-12(KJV), 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 exceedingly glad for great is your reward in heaven. For so persecuted they the prophets which were before you
Suffering, whether man-made or satanically orchestrated, have the tendency to make the believer sorrowful. This is more so because the believers suffer not because of the things they did wrong.
Jesus was betrayed by His friend, arrested by the multitude, abandoned by His disciples, accused by His kinsmen, crucified by the officials: for committing no offense. When people are punished for the offenses they committed,it is justified but when people suffer for offenses they didn’t commit,it is Injustice. Yet Jesus said that the believer should rejoice and be exceedingly glad for great is the reward in heaven.
Enduring suffering for the sake of Christ is acceptable with God. Although the believer suffers for an offense he or she has not committed, which is capable to make him or her sorrowful,yet the believer is expected to endure the suffering.
Although Jesus suffered unjustly, but instead of becoming sorrowful and weak,He was joyful and endured the cross, despised the shame because He was conscious of the benefits of the suffering. The consciousness of the benefits of suffering makes the Suffering joyous.
Joy is a vital tool or ingredient at the disposal of the believer which enables him or her to endure suffering and persevere during trials. Joy position the believer to overcome the pains, discomfort and sorrows of suffering.
Phil 4:4(KJV), Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say, rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men, The Lord is at hand
Rejoicing or being joyful in time of suffering is not an option,it is a command. A believer cannot be victorious over suffering and trials if he or she is sorrowful and not joyful.This is a mystery. The powers of the kingdom of darkness and the carnal men were seeing the pains and the shame of Jesus’ suffering and expects Him to be sorrowful: but Jesus saw the benefits of the suffering and was joyful.
The suffering of the believer or the trial of his or her faith in Christ is a thing worthy of joy because it produces unto him or her a great harvest of benefits. This is a fundamental truth and biblical principle: Any believer who partakes in the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings MUST partake in His glory. This is worth Rejoicing about.
1 Thes 1:6-7(KJV), And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the Word in much affliction, with Joy of the Holy Spirit, so that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.
Being joyful in time of suffering is possible by the help of the Holy Spirit. Joy is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit in the believer’s life. The Holy Spirit in the believer supplies the joy needed by the believer to endure suffering. Believers must recognize the presence and the role of the Holy Spirit in them, especially at the time of suffering and trial.
The Holy Spirit is the believers present help in times of suffering. His primary responsibility is to help the believer. There’s no believer who can endure the pains, discomfort and sorrows of suffering without the help of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit supplies the believer with the strength, the boldness and the courage to endure suffering. No believer endures suffering on his or her physical strength or ability but on the Holy Spirit.
Rom.8:26-27(KJV), Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit Itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit because He msketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God
There is no doubt that sufferings tend to weaken the believer and unable him or her to pray as he or she ought to pray. At a time like this,it is the Holy Spirit that helps the believer to pray.
There is no Christianity without the Holy Spirit. It is those who are led by the Holy Spirit, that are called the sons of God. He is the seal of our sonship to God. God does not use sufferings to punish the believer, rather suffering is a moment when the believer proves their sonship to God through endurance. God expect us to be steadfast in the faith even in the face of trials and sufferings.
The Holy Spirit in the believer supplies all the fruits or ingredients needed by the believer to prove their sonship to God in times of suffering. The fruits of the Holy Spirit enable the believer to endure the pains, discomfort and sorrows of suffering and as such enjoy the gracious, victorious and glorious life in Christ Jesus.
James 5:10-11(KJV), Take my brethren, the prophets,who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering, affliction and of patience. Behold we count them happy which endure
Having stated other things needed by the believer to endure suffering beneficially, it is compulsory to add that suffering is not peculiar to anyone. There’s no believer who does not partake in this fundamental biblical principle. It has been clearly stated that even Jesus Christ,Who is the captain of our salvation, was made perfect through suffering. Although suffering differs from one individual to another,it should not be taken personal. Apostle James told us that the prophets of old who spoke in the name of the Lord, also had their fair share of the fundamental principle of suffering; and as a benefit to them,we counted them happy.
One thing that is certain about partaking in the suffering of Christ is that it yields a great, and far more exceeding harvest of glorious benefits unto the believer.
EPILOGUE
2 Peter 1:3(KJV), According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertains unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue
The believers have been equipped with all that they require to endure and triumph over suffering and to enjoy the gracious, victorious and glorious life in Christ Jesus. It has been stated that the sufferings or trials of the believer is a stepping stone and not a stumbling block. In other words, sufferings are not meant to overcome the believer rather they are designed for his or her glorification. God does not allow a believer to partake in suffering as a punishment but as a stepping stone and prerequisite to his or her glorification.
1 Cor 10:13(KJV), There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to men; but God is faithful,Who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it
Although sufferings are painful, sorrowful and discomfortable,yet the believers have been equipped by the divine power of God, with all that they require to endure and triumph over suffering. Any believer that remains steadfast through suffering shall receive the harvest of reward. God is faithful, He wants the believer to enjoy the gracious, victorious and glorious life in Christ Jesus. He will not allow any believer to suffer above that which he or she is able to bear.
HEB 2:18(KJV), For in that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succour them that are tempted.
It has been proven that suffering is a fundamental biblical principle; even Jesus, The captain of our salvation,had to obey this principle for His glorification; as such, He is able to comfort all who partake in this fundamental principle.
It may appear that the believer has been forsaken; even Jesus felt forsaken by the Father at the cross: yet He was not forsaken because His crucifixion and death brought about His exaltation and glorification. Believers should be comforted knowing that their sufferings produce a great harvest of benefits unto them.
John 16:22(KJV), And ye now have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you
At the moment, suffering is painful, sorrowful and discomfortable, but the end shall be joyful. The believer that endures to the end shall rejoice. This should be the believer’s hope in times of suffering.
Rom 15:13(KJV), Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Spirit
No matter how painful or sorrowful a suffering is; no matter how long it has lasted: The believer’s continuous believing in the finished work of Jesus at Calvary cross makes tremendous Power available through the Holy Spirit for his or her victory over suffering.
1 Peter 5:10(KJV), But the God of all grace, Who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you
AMEN
AUTHORED AND PUBLISHED by
Akin KingsleyB, Founder, TENDER COMMUNICATION and PUBLICATION Org. (Multimedia and electronic book publisher). email: tenderpublication79@gmail.com phone: +2348064502329 follow: https://tendercommunicationandpublication.blogger.com
