Stand
412. Suffering and Tribulation
The door
into the invisible world
Before I met the Lord, I had always pursued ease and comfort for
my life. After I met Him, I felt
that He would now help me pursue that ease and comfort. That has not been true. He has led me into the abundant life,
but it has been through much pressure and many trials and tribulations, all of
which I am thankful for in retrospect.
We need to realize that we live on a planet that has fallen
into sin, or to put
it another way, man has rebelled against all the laws of God. That, coupled with the evil activity of
Satan to kill, steal and destroy, is enough to cause suffering for
everybody.
Life is rough, it is not fair, and it deals out suffering to
everybody in some form. People attempt
to hide the pain of life through the pursuit of money, which can purchase
temporal comforts. They also cover
up life’s pain with drugs, entertainment, success and many other things. We need to know and realize that we are
living in a war and the tension between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of
the World. The war has already
been won in eternity, but it is our job to bring the victory into our sphere of
influence. This tension will cause
sufferings. However, let us be
accurate in defining this suffering.
We need to seek God so that we know how to resist those things that
Satan is trying to put on us.
God is not the author of suffering or
the tough things in life. However, God intends
for the tough things in life to bring us to the end of our own resources. He hopes that we will turn to Him. When we do, He performs miracles and
turns our troubles into eternal triumphs.
So many believers have difficulty learning God’s prospective
on suffering, trials,
and tribulation. There are two major opposing
doctrines. One says that we are
not supposed to suffer as believers.
The other side says that we are just old sinners, so God teaches us by
making us suffer. The later view
grossly distorts God’s character!
God does not put sickness and disease on us. He does not even have any to put on us. The story of Job confirms this. Both views are very far from the truth. Both views have some element of truth,
but their doctrines will not work when they are in “the fire.”
I am going to share with you what God has taught me about
this subject. I learned this through experience and
through revelation in Scripture.
If you disagree with me, that’s fine. I know that I do not know all there is about suffering. I have never (yet) been called to undergo
physical torture or spent time in jail for the sake of the Gospel.
There is no way I can take space in this book to do a complete
teaching on suffering. I am not
even qualified to do so. But I have been under severe trials and tests. This is
just the way I have made it through many difficult circumstances, some of which
were life threatening.
Are we supposed to suffer? What kind of suffering?
First, I want to differentiate between “stupid” suffering and
redemptive suffering. “Stupid”
suffering is when we are reaping the results of bad choices, morally,
spiritually and physically. We
need to come before God and receive forgiveness and get back on track with
Him. You will find Him waiting for
you with open arms of mercy,
ready to turn your mistakes into triumphs.
There is also a difference between the Christian who has totally
yielded himself to Jesus and the average person (Christian or not) who is
living his life for himself.
Gene Edwards wrote about it this way:
“When a Christian decides to give up his life utterly and totally
to Jesus Christ without reservation, abandoning the world, giving up security,
turning to simplicity and heading for the deep things of God, that is, the
things nearest and dearest to the Lord; you can be sure that soon thereafter he
is going to touch some portion of pain.
When he does, he has commenced his inevitable journey down the road of
suffering. That pilgrimage will
carry him from glory to glory to glory, until one day, when by the sovereign
hand of the Lord, he is made into something not altogether unlike Him. Conformed to His image. Mostly by suffering.”[1]
Most of our suffering is mental.
We are tempted by Satan and distracted by our flesh to believe
lies. God wants us to believe His
Word no matter how bad things look.
God wants us to confess His Word over our situations as the change agent
working in the realm of the Kingdom of God. During this time, we are subjected to great
pressure. See Mark chapter 4.
What about martyrs?
God has called some believers to become physical martyrs unto
torture and death. Revelation 12:11 does say that we are not to love our lives
even to death. The early church
figured that for every martyr three hundred people would get saved. I do not know for sure, but from
reading the account of Stephen in Acts chapter 7, and the accounts of other similar
historic situations, it seems as though God gives a special grace when a person
is being tortured for the Gospel.
The Scripture says that Jesus tasted death for every person.
This is not something that passed away centuries ago; it is still
going on all over the world. For
those of you who may be called to this ministry, I want to honor you. I am certainly not qualified for this
subject. I want to believe that if
God ever called me to this that it would be something that I would be honored
to go through. The grace for such
a thing does not come in advance.
The Bible talks about sharing in the fellowship of his
sufferings as
indicated in Philippians 3:10, Colossians 1:24, and 2 Corinthians 4:12.
Philippians 3:10 (KJV) says, “That I may know him, and the power
of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made
conformable unto his death.”
Colossians 1:24 says, “I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and
fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake
of His body, which is the church.”
2 Corinthians 4:12 says, “So then death is working in us, but life
in you.”
Paul was talking about a kind of redemptive suffering. As he met suffering in his life he knew
that he was breaking spiritual strongholds as an intercessor for others.
Our share is something less than his share. Only Jesus is
qualified for the redemptive suffering that saves man. He bore our curse totally and
completely at the Cross. We cannot
add to that nor should we compromise that truth. That does not mean that those curses will not come on
us. It does mean that when they
do, we are to stand on the truth of the Cross and turn that curse into a
blessing. Exactly how that takes
shape in our lives is up to God.
He has the plan for our lives.
If you stay close to Him, and if you do not compromise the truth of the
Cross, He will walk you through the hard times with purpose.
Paul knew that God would rescue him in his sufferings. 2 Timothy 3:10-11 says, “But you have carefully followed
my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance,
persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at
Lystra – what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me.”
What is the purpose of suffering?
I am going to offer you a three-part answer to this question. The three parts are: (1) vicarious
intercession, (2) entering the Kingdom of God, and (3) being proved by God.
1. Our suffering quite often acts as intercession and warfare
for the church and the lost, and for the defeat of our spiritual enemies.
This is called vicarious intercession. Vicarious means ‘to take the place of another.’
Jesus defeated Satan at the Cross, but now it is up to us to
administrate that defeat and finalize it. Ephesians 3:10 says, “…to the intent
that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities
and powers in the heavenly places.”
Our suffering has to do with finalizing that defeat of Satan.
Colossians 1:24 says, “I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in
my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His
body, which is the church.”
Our share of His suffering is not the same as His share, but it is nevertheless redemptive.
There is still something lacking in His suffering regarding men and
women who are still in bondage. He
has done His part, but there is a human part to be done and it consists of more
than just saying prayers.
Our suffering is not the real thing, it is only the shadow of the real
thing (Psalm 23 calls
it the valley of the shadow of death).
Shadows can’t hurt but they can scare and cause fear. Psalm 23 goes on to say that we need
not fear for He is with us, and that this path is the path of righteousness
chosen by God and not by Satan.
It says further that our table is spread in the presence of our enemy,
we are anointed by God, and our cup runs over for the blessing of others.
Why is our suffering not the real thing?
Look at Revelation
4-5. At the throne John saw the
Lamb who was the only one worthy to take the Scroll, which Zechariah describes
as the curse (Zechariah 5:3). Then
the Scroll unrolls and explosions take place. We feel the shadow of our curses, the explosions, and they
feel like the real thing. But the
Lamb is holding the Scroll and the explosions hit Him. When we shine the light into the shadow, we see the Lamb bleeding for our curse
and saying to us, “Will you accept the shadow of this as the key to unlock the
prisons for those who are bound? I
promise it will not hurt you. Will
you do this for Me?”
Jesus became poor so we could be rich.
Yet look at the poor people in your realm of influence. Someone has to accept the shadow of
being poor as the final key to unlock his or her prison.
Perhaps, we could name this teaching “Saved by a Shadow.”
When I experience this type of suffering I am truly content and at
peace (most of the time) because His presence is heavier during this time than
ever before. There is something
about going through this and then hearing His heart of love towards people that
breaks me down and makes me know not to be afraid no matter what happens. After all, we only have a few more
years to be poor, but those people who do not get saved, well…
2. Our tough situations are doorways into the Kingdom of God.
When we were born again we were legally transferred out of the kingdom
of the “world” and into the Kingdom of God.
Colossians 1:13 says, “He has delivered us from the power of
darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.”
However, like most spiritual truths, we realize the benefits of
that truth through a process. That
is why the Scriptures tell us that we realize more of the Kingdom of God when
we go through trials and tribulations.
We have it all legally when we are born again, but we experience the
benefits over a period of time.
Acts 14:22 says, “…strengthening the souls of the disciples,
exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, ‘We must through many tribulations
enter the kingdom of God.’”
We are in an age where two kingdoms, or two worlds, exist. (See the diagram on next page). One is the visible Kingdom called the
“world.” The other one is
invisible to our eyes and it is the Kingdom of God. The kingdom of the “world” began after man fell slave to
Satan as it is described in the Genesis account. The Kingdom of God began with Jesus.
Satan is the prince of this world system. Jesus is King of the Kingdom of God. Jesus defeated Satan at the Cross. If you read the end of the Book, the
Kingdom of God prevails. However,
God has made it our privilege to bring the final victory of the Kingdom to our
realm of influence.
Mark 1:14-15 says, “…Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of
the kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God
is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.’” Luke 9:27 says, “But I tell
you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see
the kingdom of God.”
We have the opportunity and the privilege to operate in the
Kingdom of God right now on earth, before we die. Hebrews 6:5 says, “And have tasted the good word of God and
the powers of the age to come.”
We do not have room here in this chapter, or even in this entire
book, to do a complete teaching on the Kingdom of God. Suffice it to say that the Kingdom of
God is not a geographical place or location. It is not a place that we go to when our body dies. The Kingdom of God co-exists right here
and now with the world that we can see with our eyes. It is the invisible realm where God rules, and where
believers have an opportunity to be subjects to the King and to be co-rulers.
We need to know that whatever pressures or difficulty we are
going through, they will be a new door for us to go deeper into the Kingdom of
God. It will also bring Kingdom
victory into our realm of influence.
Matthew 5:3 says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is
the kingdom of heaven.” The word for ‘poor’ is ‘ptocheuo’. Strong’s Concordance defines it as
“beggar, no way out, perplexed, without resources, realizes his inferior
position, indigent.” Only when the
world’s kingdom fails you, are you capable of finding the Kingdom of God. This includes afterlife, and present
life. When I knew for sure that I
had no control over where I went after I died, I was poor, and God’s Kingdom
came upon me for that provision.
When I knew for sure that I was poor for my child’s healing, God’s
Kingdom came upon me.
God’s Kingdom is still coming on me as I am confronted with new
ways of being “poor” all the time.
Do I enjoy it? No! Am I
glad for it? Yes! It brings me deeper into the Kingdom,
it brings me more into the presence of God through the fellowship of His
sufferings, and it does some serious business for the church. Each time we overcome bad situations,
we gain more spiritual authority.
How does the church reach that goal?
Only by traveling the pathway from pressure to enlargement, from
poverty to enrichment. In the Book
of Daniel the three Hebrew children were in the pressure of the fiery
furnace. Rather than finding a
door out of the furnace, the Fourth Man found His way in. But the result was that the influence
of God was expanded. God allowed
trial upon trial to press upon Job, but his trials only pressed him to God’s
goal. To John, the Island of
Patmos seemed like a pressure that no one would want; yet it was the vehicle
for the Revelation of who Jesus really is.
Revelation 21:21 tells us that the “gates” of heavenly Jerusalem,
the Kingdom of God, are made from pearls.
A process in the oyster that starts with pain develops a pearl. First, a wound occurs in the shell and
a piece of sand enters in which causes irritation. The oyster’s body responds by secreting a substance that
coats the sand making its surface smooth.
The result is a beautiful jewel.
Revelation 21 tells us that most of the Kingdom is made up of other
precious jewels, which, in the natural earth are developed by being under much
pressure in the earth.
In the book “The Refiner’s Fire” it says,
“The Christian life is a process of deliverance out of one world
into another, and ‘death,’ as has been truly said, ‘is the only way out of any
world in which we are.’”[2]
The Christian life is not like the world. The world works on improvement and
upward mobility. The Kingdom of
God works on the principle of resurrection. Without death, resurrection is not possible. The Christian life therefore works on
death first and resurrection second.
Poverty and pressure are not the end; they are simply the doorways to
abundant life! We need to remember
that we are building a kingdom for God that is eternal, and whose elements are
out of the reach of the world and Satan.
Only what has passed through death qualifies. This is indicated in Romans 6:9-10 and many other
Scriptures.
Romans 6:9-10 says, “Knowing
that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer
has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all;
but the life that He lives, He lives to God.”
So far I have given you a lot of theory and Scripture. Now I want
to make this practical and something that you can use for your everyday
life.
Our lives with God seem to go through cycles or a process that
looks like this.
a. Need.
We encounter a desperate situation and realize that it is beyond our
ability to resolve it.
b. Promise.
We go to God through the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit and we receive
His promise as the Word-seed planted in our heart. Mark 4:11 says that this process is the mystery of the Kingdom of God.
c. Tribulation.
As in Mark chapter 4, Satan comes to steal the Word of promise that has
been planted in our heart. We feel
temptations from our flesh, from the cares of the world, and from all kinds of
lies that are thrown at us through circumstances and “thought bombs.” During this time, standing on the Word
causes great pressure.
d. We come to the end
of our own strength. We try to remain patient, but we feel
like we just can’t make it. We
feel like giving up. This is
suffering. Our solution is to rest
in the Word of God. A more
complete teaching on this is in our book, “Grow or Die.” [3]
Quite often, there is even a sense of disappointment with God
because He does not resolve the situation in the way we thought He would. We feel abandoned. If we are going through our own
crucifixion, then we need to know two things. First, we do not have enough hands to nail ourselves to the
cross, and second, feeling forsaken by God is a part of the process.
e. God takes you
up. It seems like we go through sort of a
“rapture” when God takes us up to sit with Him in heavenly places. We experience a new and fresh measure
of His presence. We receive
revelation that we are on track with God, and that everything will be all
right. This really helps our
emotions. We receive His peace that
passes all understanding.
f. Separation
from the world. There is an involuntary separation from the things and
resources of the world system. We
are no longer looking to man or institutions to deliver us. We know that we cannot deliver
ourselves. We know it is God and
God alone in His timing and in His way that will deliver us. We become helpless like children
waiting on their daddy to provide.
g. Awareness of the
Kingdom. Each time we go through this cycle, we
become more aware of the spiritual world, Kingdom of God and the satanic powers
of the world system.
h. Deliverance.
God comes through in His timing and in His way. We see His hand working. It is not the way we expected. It accomplishes much more than we
anticipated. We see that we have
taken up our cross and that we are different.
3. Proving. First,
we talked about spiritual warfare, and then, we talked about entering the
Kingdom of God, now we are going to the third item, which is proving.
1 Peter 1:7 (NIV) says, “These [fiery trials] have come so that
your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by
fire – may be proved
genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is
revealed.”
The word ‘prove’ is a word used in the refining of gold and silver. To prove means to put gold in the fire
so that the dross and impurities are burned off. The result is that the gold is more valuable and becomes
pure. When we are proven, our old
fleshly and worldly ways are burned off, and God has proven that we are useful
in His service.
Finally.
When the Israelites came out of Egypt through the Red Sea, one of
their first stops in the desert was at a pool of water called Marah, which
means “bitter.” The water was not
fit to drink, as it was full of heavy minerals. The people were very thirsty and began to murmur. Moses asked God what to do. The Lord showed Moses a particular tree
that he was to cast into the bitter water. When he did, the waters were made sweet. Exodus 15:25 (KJV) says, “And he cried
unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the
waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an
ordinance, and there he proved them.” Notice the
word “proved.”
The tree is symbolic of the Cross of Jesus Christ, which, when cast into our bitter
situations, make them sweet. The
story also encourages us to seek the Lord to find out exactly which “tree” to
throw into our bitter situations.
Moses could have chosen any tree in the woods, and it would not have had
the effect of the one God told him to choose. In other words, when we find bitterness in our lives, we
need to get close to God so that we can hear Him tell us exactly which step to
take next; which doctor to pursue, which medicine to take, which job to take,
etc.
Exodus 15:26 contains the first part of your promise with a
big “IF”. Exodus 15:26 says, “and [He] said, ‘If you diligently heed the
voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His
commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you
which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.’”
Exodus 15:27 contains your deliverance. Exodus 15:27 says, “Then they came to
Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees; so they
camped there by the waters.”
The Kingdom of God, in type, was shown in Elim. Elim had twelve fresh springs of water,
twelve being symbolic of the Kingdom of God, and seventy palm trees, surely a
place of shade, comfort and blessing.
The word ‘Elim’
means ‘strength by virtue of something being twisted.’
There was a door, an open door that led to Elim. It was called Marah, the pool of bitter
waters. When the tree, the Cross,
was applied to the bitter circumstances, and the result was strength in Kingdom
work.
The story infers that there will be suffering before the goal is
reached. We are encouraged to hang
on and to be an overcomer. It
infers that the open door of bitterness will lead to things of the Kingdom of
God, probably ministry, as a pillar in the Temple of God.
In 2 Corinthians 1:8-9 Paul said, “For we do not want you to be
ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were
burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life.
Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in
ourselves but in God who raises the dead.”