During the Wilderness
Experience, God did not give the Israelites the Promised Land at one
go. The LORD drove out the pagan nations little by little; for
Israel would be unable to destroy them all at once. God would
deliver the nations over to Israel, and would inflict defeat upon
those nations until they were destroyed. Through each of these
battles, the Israelites became stronger and stronger until they were
able to overcome not only their enemies but also the beasts of the
field as they dwelt in the land (Deut 7:22-23).
Our faith will be surely tested
through trials and tribulations, afflictions and sufferings. It will
not be proven till fully tested. The product is incomplete without
going through the whole process.
Nobody loves to be afflicted
with suffering and pain. And nobody can run away from them. From day
one, we cry as we enter the world leaving our mother's womb.
There are two types of
afflictions. One is self-afflicted, and the other is God-sent.
Self-affliction such as unforgiveness, bitterness, sins, bondages
and bad habits etc. are to reprove and rebuke the unrighteous.
The Bible speaks of another type
of afflictions and sufferings, which are designed to perfect
Christians and prepare them for greater service in God's kingdom.
The believer's attitude throughout all their afflictions should
follow the declaration of the apostle Paul, "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" (Rom. 8:18). These afflictions bring
forth the purification of the believer as he identifies with Christ
and His sufferings (Rom. 5:3-5; 2 Thes. 1:4-7).
"Many are
the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out
of them all. He guards all his bones; not one of them is
broken." (Psalm 34:19-20)
"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. Yes, and all who desire to live godly
in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution." (2 Tim
3:10-12)
God is refining us as silver
through His Holy Fire. He will deliver us out of them all. He will
not leave us alone in the fiery furnace. He promises He will be with
us throughout the process. He will surely take us out when the time
is up. Unrefined silver is useless. But silver of purest quality is
of great price.
"The words
of the LORD are pure words, like silver tried in a furnace of
earth, purified seven times." (Psalm 12:6)
"For a
righteous man may fall seven times and rise again, but the
wicked shall fall by calamity." (Proverb 24:16)
"For You, O
God, have tested us; you have refined us as silver is refined."
(Psalm 66:10)
"Behold, I
have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the
furnace of affliction." (Isaiah 48:10)
Jesus came to us in human flesh.
He knew what it meant to suffer pain and afflictions. He Who for the
joy that was set before Him endured the cross. Unless we have the
joy and vision of what God is doing in our lives - the glorious
finished PRODUCT, we will always struggle in the refining PROCESS.
Every affliction will then be painful, without meaning and purpose.
There are three types of people.
One cannot carry any weights, and they cannot bear their own burdens
nor the burdens of others. Another can carry some weights, and they
can bear their own burdens but not the burdens of others. The last
and not the least can carry a lot of weights, they can bear their
burdens and the burdens of others, and they know when and where to
unload the burdens - at the feet of Christ.
Jesus told His beloved disciples
in John 16:33:
"These
things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In
the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I
have overcome the world."
Jesus has overcome the world. He
is the Author and Finisher of our faith. Thus we are assured that He
Who began a good work in us will be faithful to complete it
(Philippians 1:6).
As we will run the race towards
the finishing line, we have this encouragement from Hebrews 12:1-12:
Therefore we
also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily
ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set
before us, 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 has sat down at the
right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him Who endured
such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become
weary and discouraged in your souls. You have not yet resisted
to bloodshed, striving against sin. 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; For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and
scourges every son whom He receives." If you endure chastening,
God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a
father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of
which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and
not sons. 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? 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.
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.
Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble
knees.."
Whether there is Sars or no
Sars, in Him, we will live, move and have our being (Acts 17:28).
And we shall overcome the world by our faith. To tell you the truth,
we are more than overcomers...
Who shall
separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or
distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or
sword? As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day
long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." Yet
in all these things we are more than conquerors (overcomers)
through Him Who loved us. For I am persuaded that
neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor
powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor
depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us
from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom
8:35-39)
Please read my
testimony at: His Banner Over Me Is Love