Suffering

Christ suffered here on earth. Now you must be ready to suffer as he did, because suffering shows that you have stopped sinning. It means you have turned from your own desires and want to obey God for the rest of your life.  1 Peter 4:1-2 CEV

Suffering shows you have stopped sinning.

It shows you have turned from your own desires and want to obey God for the rest of your life.

Suffering accepts and embraces the will of God vs the will of self.

Suffering obeys God rather than our own selfish desires for pleasure or for self security.

Suffering trusts God to protect us vs our own ability and self protection.

Suffering trusts God, full stop.

Suffering demonstrates submission to the will and grace of God.

If you belong to Christ Jesus, you won’t be punished. The Holy Spirit will give you life that comes from Christ Jesus and will set you free from sin and death. The Law of Moses cannot do this, because our selfish desires make the Law weak. But God set you free when he sent his own Son to be like us sinners and to be a sacrifice for our sin. God used Christ’s body to condemn sin. He did this, so that we would do what the Law commands by obeying the Spirit instead of our own desires. People who are ruled by their desires think only of themselves. Everyone who is ruled by the Holy Spirit thinks about spiritual things. If our minds are ruled by our desires, we will die. But if our minds are ruled by the Spirit, we will have life and peace. Our desires fight against God, because they do not and cannot obey God’s laws. If we follow our desires, we cannot please God.

You are no longer ruled by your desires, but by God’s Spirit, who lives in you. People who don’t have the Spirit of Christ in them don’t belong to him. But Christ lives in you. So you are alive because God has accepted you, even though your bodies must die because of your sins. Yet God raised Jesus to life! God’s Spirit now lives in you, and he will raise you to life by his Spirit.

My dear friends, we must not live to satisfy our desires. If you do, you will die. But you will live, if by the help of God’s Spirit you say “No” to your desires. Only those people who are led by God’s Spirit are his children. God’s Spirit doesn’t make us slaves who are afraid of him. Instead, we become his children and call him our Father. God’s Spirit makes us sure that we are his children. His Spirit lets us know that together with Christ we will be given what God has promised. We will also share in the glory of Christ, because we have suffered with him. Romans 8:1-17 CEV

Suffering trusts God.  When we suffer we are demonstrating in our life that we trust God to work in our lives and to rescue us from difficult circumstances and people and relationships and failings and hard times.  It trusts God to be with us in the fire and the flood.  (Isaiah 43:1-2)  It trusts and surrenders to God.

Our natural inclination is to avoid suffering – at all and any cost.  But we must live to obey God and to walk in his ways.  Sometimes suffering happens because we are being obedient.  Sometimes it happens as a byproduct of life.

Suffering can be physical or circumstantial or emotional or relational.  It can be wtihin our control sometimes or sometimes it jsut happens around and to us.  In all times of suffering we must listen to what God would have us do and we must obey the direction of the Word of God.

In great darkness great light WILL shine.  We are never alone.

You have faith in God, whose power will protect you until the last day. Then he will save you, just as he has always planned to do. On that day you will be glad, even if you have to go through many hard trials for a while. Your faith will be like gold that has been tested in a fire. And these trials will prove that your faith is worth much more than gold that can be destroyed. They will show that you will be given praise and honor and glory when Jesus Christ returns. You have never seen Jesus, and you don’t see him now. But still you love him and have faith in him, and no words can tell how glad and happy you are to be saved. That’s why you have faith. 1 Peter 1:5-9

My friends, be glad, even if you have a lot of trouble. You know that you learn to endure by having your faith tested. But you must learn to endure everything, so that you will be completely mature and not lacking in anything. James 1:2-3

we need to be people who will choose personal holiness over comfort and the easy way out.  we need to be people who will make the choice to obey rather than disobey.  we need to make the opinion of God more important than teh opinion of others, or the opinon of ourselves.   we need to trust God, no matter what and hold onto him.  when the going gets tough we dont run away from God but run to him and find security and peace even in the storms.  we must get it that he has a plan and a purpose and a destiny and that he continues to be God even when facing difficulties.  in suffering God is still God, even more so.

In Matthew – Dumb Prayers

Matthew 20:20-21 “the mother of James and John came to Jesus with her two sons.  She knelt down and started begging him to do something for her.  Jesus asked her what she wanted and she said “when you come into your kingdom please let one of my sons sit at your right side and the other on your left.”

 

Often we read this and criticize James and John’s mother for been ambitious and rude and selfish.  She’s a pushy woman we think.  But really how many of OUR prayers would fall into the same category (aka dumb prayers!).  we pray for good carparks, new tv, red shoes, a good discount… are these things important?  Yes and no.  yes because I reckon it is okay to pray about them and EVERYTHING.  But no, because often that is ALL we pray for and we neglect to pray for things that really matter – salvations, open hearts, healings, restoration, revival, revelation…  their mother BEGGED at Jesus.  Are we begging and passionate in any of our prayers?  Lets get a heavenly perspective.  Lets get God’s perspective on life and pray and beg and seek his face and his ways.

The Path of Temptation

“You must walk the path of temptation.” Molinos from 100 Days in the Secret Place

An interesting quote isn’t it. We must walk the path of temptation. Most would say flee from temptation – but to do that first we must face temptation. Though we pray in the Lord’s prayer “lead us from temptation and deliver us from evil” we learn from facing and overcoming temptations. We learn obedience. We learn surrender. We learn to be led by the Holy Spirit within us, who is transforming us into the character of God.

Jesus was tempted.

Luke 4:13 And when the Devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him for a time.

Hebrews 2:18 For in that He Himself has suffered, having been tempted, He is able to rescue those who are being tempted.

Jesus was tempted, not only by the devil in a determined pattern of distraction and attack, but throughout life, because Jesus was human. Because of that he has full understanding of what it feels to be tempted and is the one to run to in our time of trial.

What is the purpose of temptation? Does it have a purpose???

I do think God uses temptation for a purpose. Does he tempt us? No.

James 1:13 Let no one being tempted say, I am tempted from God. For God is not tempted by evils, and He tempts no one. But each one is tempted by his lusts, being drawn away and seduced by them.

But He uses all things together for good for His purposes and glory. So thus God uses temptation. Temptation is a fire that refines us. It shows us our weaknesses so we can cast them upon God and draw upon His mercy, grace and strength. It allows the work of Grace to be wrought within us.

Temptation comes from within us. It is the fleshly desires we have for things. Be it another person, something we don’t have, power, to react just as we want to, to lie – to whatever.

The good thing is we are not alone in facing temptation. As said above Jesus is with us. So too should our friends. We ALL go through temptation. Be honest with each other and support those who need support.

The other and the most good thing is that God makes a way to escape. He delivers us from temptation. We must take HIS road, HIS way. Sometimes that will be to flee, to remove ourselves from that place (ie nightclub, boys bedroom, shop etc) Other times it will be to talk with someone and share the burden and with the grace and help of God tough it through (so to speak).

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has taken you but what is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but with the temptation also will make a way to escape, so that you may be able to bear it.

James 1:12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation, because having been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

2 Peter 2:9 The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation

Now I am NOT SUGGESTION we deliberatily put ourselves in harms way (in temptations way). But temptation will happen in the course of normal life. Dont go looking for trouble. Dont go looking for temptation. Keep living a life walking to please God.

2 Timothy 2:20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honor, and some to dishonor. Therefore if anyone purges himself from these, he shall be a vessel to honor, sanctified and useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. But flee youthful lusts, and follow righteousness, faith, love, peace, with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

So where does this fit in the 100 Days series… we are studying the “way of the cross”, embracing the changes and the path of change that God outworks in our lives. We must walk the path of temptation and allow it to transform us. We must walk a close walk with God, drawing near to Him.