suffering

Walking Through Prolonged Suffering

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The hardest type of suffering is prolonged deep suffering. This presents greater challenges to our faith since the pain is constant. Examples include the death of a loved one that leaves you lonely, a long debilitating illness, the loss of one’s social network, or working in a hostile environment. One-time tragedies are easier to recover from when they don’t have a drastic lasting impact. Prolonged deep suffering wears away at us like the ocean wears away at boulders. We may not notice how it gradually affects our mindset so we need to watch that it doesn’t make us into negative or dysfunctional people. And we need to keep prolonged deep suffering from damaging our confidence in God’s Scripture. With prolonged suffering you need to adopt a long-term coping strategy and focus your mind and energy on learning how to get through each day, day after day. You need to strengthen Continue Reading →

Weekly words of encouragement

We Dwell In His Presence – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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The upright shall dwell in your presence Psalms 140:13 (ESV) Old Testament Jews yearned to be in the presence of God. The best place in the world for them was Solomon’s Temple, where God dwelt in the holy of holies. Even though they could not enter the holy of holies, they were happy just to be in the courts adjacent to the Temple itself. To be in the courts was to be in the presence of God, and nothing was better than being near the presence of God. In his presence were joy and blessing. Under the New Covenant believers have something much better than the Temple! We have something even better than the holy of holies, which only the High Priest ever experienced. We have the presence of God inside us because we are the temple of his Spirit. Thus, we get to dwell in his presence at all Continue Reading →

suffering

Your Suffering Makes You Fruitful

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Do you think of suffering as an opportunity to become more fruitful? If we do, then we can more easily embrace suffering. If we embrace suffering then we will “know Christ” better in this life (Phil. 3:10, NIV) and receive “praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” (1 Pet. 1:6-7, NIV). If we resist or respond poorly to suffering, then those blessings will be lost. The Father wants to make us fruitful (Gen. 1:28; John 15:1-8) and Jesus promised: “every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful” (John 15:2, NIV). This painful pruning produces blessing for others just as Jesus’ suffering did. Our “death” produces life in others; it destroys the work of Satan. Paul viewed his suffering as something he accepted so that he could bless believers: Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my Continue Reading →

Weekly words of encouragement

Yahweh Supports The Afflicted – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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The LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted Psalms 140:12 (ESV) All throughout the bible Yahweh expresses his heart of compassion for the afflicted, the needy, the oppressed and the unwanted. If you are afflicted then he will maintain your cause. He is your attorney in the trials of life, and he is the judge who rules in favor of you. You will not be afflicted forever; he will bring resurrection out of death. Consider the passages: He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring Continue Reading →

growth of new self

Living From Our New Self – Part 2

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Last week we described the new self. Your new self wants healthy, loving relationships, especially a union of love with God. Your new self has an aversion to corruption and is open to conviction of sin. I believe this was John’s point when he said: “no one who is born of God will continue to sin” (1 John 3:9, ESV). Your new self wants to know God better and is disappointed when you sin. If you continually embrace these new desires and reject opposing desires, then your new self will mature and dominate.   You can enlarge the influence of your new self by taking a few moments, especially in solitude, to “put on” your new self. Following is a guide for this. You might also use this for challenging situations. Exercise – Living From the New Self Find a place of solitude and silence. Let the concerns of the Continue Reading →