Turning Pain and Hardships into a Microphone

James 1:2-8, "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3) knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4) But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5) If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6) But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7) For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8) he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." 

We have all had pain and hardships and trials and testings. Some more than others but nonetheless, they've been measured out and allowed by the Lord for His purpose and His plan. In keeping with my own advice that I've given to countless others, we are not supposed to compare our hardships, pain, trials and testings with others because God has different plans and purposes for each of us. What I may go through is specific to ME on a personal level with Jesus Christ, just as what YOU may go through is specific to YOU. What pains me may not cause great pain in you or someone else and vice-versa. However, we all go through it. The reaction to those hardships and trials will vary depending on the relationship with Jesus Christ, the strength of one's Faith and whether or not they are a child of God to begin with! Yes, that does make a difference in how we "travel" through those tribulation waters! To the unbeliever, it is possible that a trial or hardship has been allowed in order to bring them TO Jesus, to have them seek His face, to draw them close. We never really have the answers to all the "why's" but what we DO have the answer to is the fact that EVERYTHING has a reason and purpose.

Before I move forward, and get to the meat of this post, let me share just a few of the reasons for God to allow trials, pain, testing and hardships into our lives.

1) They help our Perseverance. James 1:12, "Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him."
2) They give us more Humility. Proverbs 18:12, "Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty, And before honor is humility." And 1 Peter 5:6-8, "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7) casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 8) Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."
3) They are God’s discipline (NOT punishment!) Hebrews 12:5-11, "And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: 
"My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord,
Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
6) For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives." 
7) If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? 8) But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. 9) Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? 10) For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. 11) Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."
4) They happen so we can become more dependent on the Lord. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, "And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10) Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
5) God could very well be protecting us from a bigger problem that we don’t see coming. Psalm 121:5-8, "The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade at your right hand. 6) The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night. 7) The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. 8) The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in From this time forth, and even forevermore."
6) They are allowed and happen so that we can share the suffering of Christ. 2 Corinthians 1:5-7, "For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. 6) Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. 7) And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation."
7) They happen to help develop character.  Romans 5:3-6, "And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4) and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5) Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. 6) For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
8) They happen so we can help someone because we've been in that situation and we're able to comfort them having been through the same thing and through the pain we trusted in God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4) who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."
9) To remind us that God is ALWAYS in Control. Luke 8:22-25, "Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake." And they launched out. 23) But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy. 24) And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!" Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. 25) But He said to them, "Where is your faith?" And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, "Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!"

Now there were times that I remember asking, "why God, why this, and/or why that?" That is what we call DOUBT. And yes, even the strongest of Christians will doubt sometimes. During those "questioning" times, I would always hear God telling me to wait on His timing. His timing is the key to everything and is much better than our own. God has most definitely delivered me from hardships, some extreme, and trials and pain! No doubt about it! But it's when you're going through those bad times, those difficult times, that it seems all you’re thinking about IS the right here, right now. I've seen God use many of my trials to build me up, making me stronger in both character and Faith. He's answered different prayers, opened doors, helped others, and I've also seen, and experienced, many miracles where I knew it was only God who could have done something. My journey has been filled with a lot of hardships, trials, testings and pain along the way and I'm currently still going through them! While there were many times that I was worrying about this or about that, the Lord gave me a quiet comfort, calm encouragement, swift motivation, all the while He was working behind the scenes. I know, as I go through each day, life will inevitably bring disappointments, sadness, tears, pain, sorrow, hardships and trials. That's a given. But as a child of God, I know, without a doubt, Jesus Christ is my comfort, my encouragement, my happiness, my joy, my healing, my success and my strength!

I start with doubt because it's during those weakened moments when we tend to question the "why me's" that the adversary, the devil, will seize the opportunity to try to attack us with his pathetic fiery dart. He'll try to convince you that God doesn’t love you, or is disappointed in you. Satan will try all kinds of his schemes to get you to turn FROM Jesus Christ, from relying on Him, from gaining His strength and power that has already been given to us to trample on the snake! Our adversary, the devil, will try to instill fear into our beings when we're walking through the trials, maybe eaten up with pain and disappointments, just so he can get us to doubt the ONE TRUE Father! See, it's when your Faith is little, and waning, the devil tries to rip it out. Don’t let him put you in despair and bitterness towards God. God already overcame Satan and his minions and so it's IMPERATIVE that we don’t ever forget all of the other times that God has delivered us from all of our trials, hardships, pains and sorrows because if He did it then, He WILL do it again! The devil can't create anything new, nor is he able to know our hearts, but he will try to say it was a coincidence, and know that with God there are no coincidences. Don’t let the devil give you fear. Fear is NOT of God!!!

When we step back and look at these things through our human understanding, we immediately come to the conclusions that actions and consequences go hand-in-hand. Anytime something unpleasant, painful, unjust occurs, our minds automatically shift into overdrive and it tries to figure out the cause or source of blame. Sometimes, we wrongly accuse ourselves. It's the proverbial, "I MUST have done something to be going through this." No. It doesn't always work like that!! Now, if you made a bad decision, choosing something you know is clearly wrong, and you suffer the consequences of those choices, then YES! But, in all the areas outside of the cause and affect of bad choices, no. We will have racked our brains out trying to make sense of the chaos, of the brokenness and hardship, only to find no real, solid answers. This is when we become a judge and the jury and put ourselves on trial. FAIL! Not everything we go through, not every hardship, pain, sorrow, trial do we need to have an answer to because that isn't how God works! Keep in mind, if we always knew the why's and how's, then we really wouldn't need a Savior, now would we?

Sometimes, we inquire of the Lord much the same way the disciples did in John 9:2, "And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" when they came across the man who was blind from birth. The disciples were thinking with their limited understanding that wrongdoing was the culprit. Many believers, and unbelievers alike, mistakenly believe this way too, to this day! Our limits are much greater when we try to compare them to God Almighty!! But anyway, Jesus quickly corrected their misguided assumption in John 9:3, "Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him."  In his particular circumstance, it wasn't anybody’s fault. This blind man wasn't on the receiving end of some kind of vicious judgment. Quite the opposite actually. God had purposefully chosen the blind man's circumstance to be the miraculous testimony that fueled the Faith of the present and future generations. One simple act. God, not only restored his sight, but, ultimately it was through his trial and subsequent deliverance, that the Lord was also able to open the eyes of the spiritually blind. The spiritually blind is just as devastating as being physically blind!

All the people who saw, and learned of, this miracle began believing in Jesus Christ and worshiping Him as Lord and Savior. How awesome is our God! See, God can, and will, take your struggles, your hardships, your pain, your testings and your disappointments and use them to transform, to witness and to encourage someone else's life just like He did with the blind man in the book of John! Nothing is EVER wasted. No Struggles, no heartaches, no hardships, no pain, no sorrows, no tragedies. It's all for His purpose and if you allow Him to, He will give you many opportunities to turn those things into a microphone and speak your testimony to those around you. Nothing is accidental. Things may happen in our lives that seem unfair and without purpose. They feel like an "intruder" that invades our lives without warning. Though we can’t always see the point of our suffering and hardships, there is always a purpose that can be derived FROM it. Our struggles will be our testimony to a world of hurting people, confused, distraught and searching. As long as we don’t give up before we're able to see the conclusion of the matter, then we have much to share with those people that God places in our paths! And yes, that is also purposeful! Romans 8:18-19, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19) For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God."

The Comfort of the Lord!

We know that we can draw strength from knowing God WILL use our darkest days, our longest moments, our hardest struggles as beacons of light in order to illuminate our paths, thereby revealing both His purpose and glory to us and those around us who are assuredly watching! God is the ONLY source of all goodness, His glory is the spring of all joy. Whatever God does for His own sake, for His purpose and His plans definitely is done to benefit us. Therefore, then, it can be said that whatever glorifies Him is good for us. That also includes all of the suffering, pain and hardships that He allows, or brings (biblically, either or both terms can often apply), into our lives. God refines us in our suffering, remolding us, transforming us and while doing so, He graciously explains why: Isaiah 48:10, "Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction." For emphasis, God repeats this reason. When God repeats something, you better take notice! He means business and it's obviously something important to HIM to repeat it for us to grasp fully and not forget! Suffering ultimately can help us grow and mature. God could have easily created scientists, mathematicians, athletes, musicians or any other disciplined profession. But He didn't and He doesn’t. What He does create are children who take on those roles over a long process, with extended periods of practice, failures, endurance and discipline. The only way that we can learn to excel is by handling failure successfully. Only in cultivating discipline, endurance, and patience do we find satisfaction and reward.

Think about all of the dentists, physicians, parents, and pet owners that regularly, but lovingly, demonstrate suffering may be lovingly inflicting that suffering for a higher good. In his book, A Grief Observed, C.S. Lewis wrote, "But suppose that what you are up against is a surgeon whose intentions are wholly good. The kinder and more conscientious he is, the more inexorably he will go on cutting. If he yielded to your entreaties, if he stopped before the operation was complete, all the pain up to that point would have been useless. … What do people mean when they say “I am not afraid of God because I know He is good”? Have they never even been to a dentist?" God can use suffering to display his work in you.

God uses suffering and hardships to also purge sin from our lives, strengthen our commitment to Him, force us to depend on His grace and not man's feeble knowledge, bind us together with other believers to strengthen each other, to produce discernment, foster sensitivity, discipline our minds, impart wisdom, stretch our hope, cause us to know Christ better, make us long for truth, lead us to repentance of sin, teach us to give thanks in times of sorrow, increase our Faith, and strengthen our character. And once He accomplishes such great things, often we can see that our suffering has been worth it. These things may not be all fun and games, but they are necessary to our growth in Him. They are necessary for our testimonials to others that God will surely have cross our paths to encourage, to love, to witness to, to share and to comfort. God doesn’t always simply want us to feel good. He wants us to be good. And very often the road to being good involves not feeling good. As many of us can attest to that has ever had a toothache! It doesn't feel good going through the pain and suffering that we endure until AFTER we finally succumb to see the dentist, endure the pain of the process. Then, and only until then, can we FEEL good and BE good! God chisels us and it's a process that we must go through. It's so much easier to go through that painful process when we understand the outcome will greatly benefit us once we make it through!

In my own life, I have seen God carry me through every single struggle, hardship, pain and sorrow and although I had some bumps and bruises along the way, what an amazing journey it has been! I have learned the hard way, from many years of struggles, that when a new hardship is presented that I personally didn't create myself by a bad choice, I begin to thank Him for His grace and goodness! It's now immediate and once I was able to get that at the forefront of being a habit, I saw a difference in the way I handled those hardships. There is nothing I want more than to be able to turn the pain and hardships into God's microphone. I want to be the voice that will help someone heal or turn to Jesus Christ for comfort. I want to be the voice that can help someone find strength or joy in Jesus Christ. I want to be the voice that will share my own life's struggles with those who are struggling with the same things I've overcome through the grace, strength and love of God! See the Apostle James and the Apostle Paul both understood that in light of what Christ did for us by providing salvation on the Cross at Calvary, the difficulties that we will undoubtedly experience in this lifetime takes on new meaning. They are all a means through which God works to accomplish His will in our lives: to shape us and mold us so that we reflect the character of Christ. Romans 8:28–30 tells us clearly, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29) For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30) Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified." On the basis of this purpose alone, all of our adversity "works together" for our good and God’s glory. Why? Because adversity gets our attention!

When adversity comes, and we can be certain that they will, we are forced to have to face the problems and pressures that are obviously too big for us to resolve on our own. So it's in this way, God gets our attention. We aren't able to continue to pursue our goals, tasks, relationships, careers and anything else in the same manner that we once did. We are forced to stop and evaluate our situation, asking God for wisdom, obey His Word, and trust Him to bring the help that we so desperately need. Troubles tend to point out our weaknesses, prompting us to rely on God in ways that we wouldn’t ordinarily unless we had significant needs. In the midst of trials, Christ’s invitation becomes very attractive to those who are weary. Matthew 11:28–30, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29) Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30) For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." I don't know about you, but I've never heard of anyone growing closer to the Lord, seeking His face more, when everything was going smoothly and everything was working out nicely. It's only when there have been adverse situations, circumstances beyond our control, and hardships that people grow closer, draw nearer to the Lord. So let's think of adversity as a classroom. It's a "place" where we can learn about Jesus Christ and become more like Him. A "place" where we're able to grow and flourish with a grand teacher! He has sure taught me plenty and I have tried to share those lessons with others that have crossed my paths.

Weariness Makes us Weak

Adversity motivates us to cry out to God and seek His face and comfort in our time of troubles! God responds to the cry of His children when they suffer. He never turns His back and walks away from any child of His that is suffering. Psalm 34:17, "The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles." We are to cry out to God with our voice, for mercy each day, in humility and with a pure heart. As we all know, wise discipline brings a child to maturity. A loving father that helps his children learn and grow through the discipline that he lovingly carries out in their lives is just like how God uses adversity to help us grow in holiness and become more like Him. When we persevere through all of our hardships and pain, we have proof, and a solid testimony, that we are a child of God. Adversity has a way of reminding us that God is ever present and that we are accountable to Him for our every thought, word, and action. The fear of the Lord is revealed in God’s Word and is the key to life, wisdom, and lasting achievement.  However, if we lose our awareness of God and His presence and begin to think and act as though He doesn't exist, God often times will allow painful reminders of our need for Him, just as He did with the nation of Israel. Judges 2:20–22, "Then the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel; and He said, “Because this nation has transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers, and has not heeded My voice, 21) I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died, 22) so that through them I may test Israel, whether they will keep the ways of the Lord, to walk in them as their fathers kept them, or not.”

I'd probably have to say that one of the ultimate purposes of adversity is to cause us to desire more of Christ’s power in our lives. Troubles and hardships truly reveal that, on our own, we can’t possibly live in a way that will ever honor God. We MUST learn to rely on God and receive His grace. The Apostle Paul willingly suffered the loss of all things so that he would gain more of Christ and experience the power of Christ’s resurrection. Philippians 3:8–10, "Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9) and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10) that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death," God works within the Christian in a mighty, powerful way, making us dead to our sin and alive in Christ. Thus enabling us to be able to boldly walk in the power of the Holy Spirit rather than according to our fleshly desires. There have been many times, too many to count, that I've personally can attest to adversity being used purposefully to grow my desire of wanting more of Christ's power in my life! When His power is witnessed and experienced and you drink from the cup of plentiful, you want more of it. I sure did and still do! He proves to me all the time through every hardship and trial that I can't do anything without Him. He shows me just how I need to rely on His strength and how He will pull me through but I need to have Faith and Trust Him implicitly!

We also must acknowledge that adversity is evidence of spiritual warfare as well. Christians must always be aware of the spiritual battle that rages on between God and our adversary, Satan. Satan has been defeated. He has been trampled underfoot. He is the ruler and "god" of this world, this fallen, evil world. God warns us about the wiles of the enemy and Paul tells us just what we need to do to be ready for battle. We must learn to recognize that sometimes adversity will come in the form of spiritual warfare through weariness, confusion, division, fear and spiritual oppression. In the midst of these trials, don't become so overwhelmed or yield to the temptation that is presenting itself before you, to give up. The Apostle Paul encourages us to be strong, courageous, and to be prepared to be good soldiers. Good, strong, battle-ready soldiers ready to take up the Sword and fight! Ephesians 6:11–18, "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12) For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13) Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14) Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15) and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16) above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17) And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18) praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints." I have written a good descriptive post on Spiritual Warfare and the whole armor of God that can be found here.

Let's be real here, the Christian life definitely can be bittersweet. Nobody likes suffering, pain, sorrow, enduring hardships or loss. It’s bitter when you experience suffering and loss. In every sense of the word, trials and tragedies are absolutely awful! No one loves suffering and hardship. Our suffering is never wasted on God and in that sense, the Christian life is also sweet! God always works His purposes even in the midst of your pain, through every hardship you go through. In fact, God will do some of His best work in and through you when you are in the midst of personal crisis. It's how you handle your times of pain, and what your perspective is that makes all the difference. The Apostle Paul didn't ask himself "Is what’s happening to me fair?" Instead, he poses this question: "Is what’s happening to me accomplishing something for God? Is it furthering His purposes in the world?" If you take some time to reflect on this very question, you too will discover that you can receive your best witness in your worst circumstances. Perspective is everything. Not only through hardships, but in everything in this life! It's the attitude that you have in such circumstances that show the world who your God truly IS and what He can do in their lives! In many ways, our views towards adversity and how we face adverse situations, can further the kingdom of God! Adversity advances the kingdom because there's testimonials through each one. So please remember, if we stay silent and don't share what God has done through our own pain and hardships, then we can't advance the kingdom and all of our suffering will have been for naught. Turn those trials and hardships into a microphone and let others SEE your God through all that He's done for you.

What God has done in my own life gave me a purpose in ways I hadn't expected. It opened doors I wasn't expecting to walk through. It gave me a calm and peace I wasn't expecting to find. I'm a private person, one who has been a quiet sufferer, only sharing my past with a few close people. Until one day, I felt His presence and voice telling me to share what I've been through, what I've struggled with, what I've suffered with and let others know how loving, caring and amazing Jesus Christ is in my life! I was vulnerable and transparent and I wasn't so comfortable with that side of me. But it wasn't really about my comfort. It was about allowing others to know who was responsible for my overcoming all the seemingly impossible obstacles in my way. To share with others that nobody but God carried me through the wilderness, delivering me from the lions that were waiting around each tree. God gave me a ministry and an avenue to share it in and you're reading it right now! We all have a story that becomes our testimony. Stories are meant to be shared.

People can always deny Christ, dispute and confuse Scripture and ignore prophecy, but they cannot deny, dispute or ignore God’s transforming power in someone’s life! When others SEE God transforming the life of someone right before their very eyes, it's hard to pretend that it didn't happen! All of our stories of pain, adversity, hardships, sorrows and overcoming in Christ are meant to serve a purpose and as a testimonial of God’s faithfulness and power. It's evidence that God really CAN take what the devil meant for evil and use it for good. Because He IS God! Because He IS love. I’ve learned throughout my journey, that it's always God’s desire for us to go out and share our stories, whether we want to or not, whether we like it or not. There's much to be gained for sharing our stories because God sends us to others and sends others to us so we can share those stories, comfort one another, give hope to the hopeless and most importantly, point them to the Cross of Jesus Christ! God never wastes our pain nor our sorrows. He never wastes our struggles or our suffering. Only we do that. God has a perfect plan for great purposes and a beautiful future for all who believe in Him. Not despite our past, but because of it. The purpose of God in creating the universe is to display the greatness of the glory of His grace supremely in the suffering of his Son, Jesus Christ. That was yesterday. Today brings us joining the Son in displaying the pure satisfaction of the full glory of grace by joining Him on the Calvary road of suffering. There's no other way the world will be able to see the supreme glory of Christ today, in this life, in this world, except that we begin to live lifestyles of missionary sacrifice that looks to the world like our treasure is in heaven and not on this earth.

No matter what struggle you are facing, my friends, brothers and sisters in Christ and my dearest readers, please remember that if you belong to Christ, it's all working His purpose and His plan for your victory.  It might not seem like it, and it sure may not feel like it, but rest assured, God has promised not to withhold good from those who love Him. Let all of your heartaches and pain work out those things for which God has allowed it in your life to begin with.  He's not uncaring in all that you endure and He knows what you have been going through. This world is definitely not heaven nor is it close. There will come a day when you will surely see the reasons for your suffering and struggles. You'll also know that God was with you every step of the way of every single day.  His eyes never left you and He grieves with you in your pain. He also sees the end result of your suffering and knows the outcome. These things we may never see nor know while on this earth, but we will once we are in His presence! He will reveal to us some things by sight or knowledge of why we've had to suffer or go through a hardship or experience pain but the fullness of those hardships only He will know. Never surrender up your heritage in the Kingdom of God to a defeated enemy of hell. Christ put all your enemies beneath his feet. He rendered them powerless so they couldn't defeat you.  The devil himself knows that but he will try, and try, and try. Remember God has won our battles long before we were conceived!

If, as believers, we’re burdened when our brothers and sisters suffer and go through hardships of any kind, imagine just how God feels, the one who Created us. Always remember that He loves you and He reminds us time after time in His word that He will never forsake us! Pain and suffering have much worth in the Kingdom of our God. WE really need to recognize that suffering and pain are not without purpose. Like Joseph, who told his brothers in Genesis 50:20, "But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive." God had used their harmful actions for good. In C.S Lewis' "The Problem of Pain" (page 93) he wrote something very profound, "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a dead world."

By turning our pain and hardships, sorrows and grief into microphones, we too can rouse a dead world! Let our stories amplify the Word of His testimony! AMEN!


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