Beauty In The Beast: How To Suffer WellExemplo

 

Threats invite war!

During my period of illness with Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, I remember seeing my doctor, whose words to me were, ‘your throat looks like a war zone’.

I laughed painfully and after crying, lamenting and feeling hopeless, I knew that this was a word for me. My throat, my mouthpiece, the very breath that God gave me to exalt Him and make Him known is at war. The enemy wanted to silence this mouth that stirs hope, this mouth that encourages, this mouth that teaches, this mouth that prays, this mouth that worships and this mouth that speaks God's word to those who desperately need it.

The enemy attacks those who are a threat to him. The day you chose Christ is the day you declared war on the kingdom of darkness. Your life is a threat to the enemy and threats invite war! 

Look at these real scenarios:

• A 35-year-old woman always picks up three young people on her way to church and they have been growing in the Christian faith ever since. She is suddenly struck by an ailment which means she cannot drive and can no longer pick up these three youths. Can you identify why the enemy attacked her? 
• A 29-year-old man with dreams of setting up a men's ministry to support new believers in the faith experiences family loss so painful that he considers abandoning the purpose set before him and leaving the faith altogether. Can you identify why the enemy attacked him?
• A 26-year-old Christian teacher about to start her doctoral degree with God-inspired plans of penetrating secular environments and policies with Christian values is suddenly struck by a '1 in 3' mortality rate illness. Can you identify why the enemy attacked her?

In all these scenarios we see that the enemy is not just threatened by the individual, he is threatened by purpose lived out. Our godly purpose always coincides with meeting the needs of others, whatever that 'need' looks like. 

Pause for reflection: What is it that is under attack in your life? What suffering have you experienced or are currently experiencing? How may this link to your purpose like the scenarios above?

How should we respond to threats?

Our response to threats from the enemy should be like Job's.

Reject silence...

“But I am not silenced by the darkness [of these woes that fell on me], Nor by the thick darkness which covers my face.” - JOB 23:16-17 (AMP)

Allow yourself to 'feel'...

“But if I go to the east, he is not there; if I go to the west, I do not find him. When he is at work in the north, I do not see him; when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him...” - JOB 23:8 (NIV)

Your feelings are legitimate but they are not the truth. God is not alarmed or offended by your feelings. Let us not hold ourselves to the standard of faux-spiritual perfection, when Abba Father holds us to the standard of His everlasting Grace. The truth is, despite how you 'feel'...

“...He knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold". - Job 23:8 (NIV)

Speak to your heart and say: 'First comes the fire and then comes the gold. I am being refined and not burnt. I will not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God. I am fully persuaded that God has the power to do what He has promised'. I trust Him and I command my feelings to align with the truth of His Word'.