Enduring Through SufferingНамуна

Here is a summary of the desired responses we are to have to suffering. These are taken from the verses quoted in this reading plan. This is a list from the bold and underlined scriptures.  

Think about God’s perspective on it 

Wait for the Lord and rely on Him for relief 

Hope in the Lord and seek Him 

Quietly submit to the Lord 

Humbly respond to the Lord and to the human agents 

Do not grumble or complain 

Examine our lives 

Worship the Lord 

Call out to the Lord 

Do not fear 

Mourn Commit our lives to a life of difficult service 

Do not be distracted from Kingdom purposes 

Seek to please the Lord in the midst of it 

Act righteously, even when it will result in persecution 

Rejoice greatly 

Be glad 

Do not resist evil people acting against you 

Love your enemies 

Pray for those who persecute you 

Love God more than anyone, including family members 

Count the Lord as more important than anything in life 

Be willing to sacrifice everything for Christ 

Deny your own will and desires and serve Christ’s purposes daily 

Do not be selfish or conceited 

Humbly consider others as more important than yourself and serve their interests 

Do not use your position to your advantage but rather to serve others 

Humble yourself by being willing to suffer for others benefit 

Be encouraged 

Continue proclaiming the good news of Jesus publicly and privately 

Continue teaching others about the Kingdom life publicly and privately 

Promote the Kingdom wherever you go 

Welcome instruction about the Kingdom even when it leads to suffering 

Model service despite suffering for other believers 

Imitate followers of Christ who suffer well for serving the Lord 

Persevere, demonstrate faith, and endure 

Be filled with the Spirit 

View the trials as identification with Christ and for His sake 

Continue to speak the truths of the Kingdom that you have believed 

Do not lose heart 

Fix your eyes on the unseen and eternal realities rather than your present situation 

Do not cause others to stumble 

Show great endurance through every kind of unpleasant circumstance and situation 

Live out purity, understanding, patience and kindness 

Demonstrate a Spirit-filled life of sincere love, truthful speech and godly power 

Show forth righteous living in spiritual warfare in the face of any response 

Be content with being considered false, being beaten, poor, sorrowful and dying 

Work hard for the Kingdom 

Be willing to face every kind of difficulty, danger, discomfort, and sorrow 

Be concerned for others welfare 

Boast in your weakness 

Delight in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions and difficulties 

Glory in your sufferings 

Share in Christ’s sufferings 

Consider yourself to be a sheep to be slaughtered and sacrificed 

Be willing to lose your freedom 

Count any and every earthly thing as a loss compared to knowing Christ 

Participate in Jesus’ suffering and death willingly 

Intentionally suffer through self-discipline as a sacrifice of service 

Seek to please the Lord 

Consider your service and sacrifice as the “least you can do” 

Die to self with Jesus 

Persevere 

Practice the Lord’s commands 

Serve as Christ’s ambassador and represent His desires and ways to others 

Fervently pray with cries and tears to the Lord for His relief 

Reverently submit to God 

Remember God’s faithfulness in past suffering 

Stand with others who are suffering and join them in it 

Joyfully accept the confiscation of your property 

Live by faith 

Do not shrink back from serving or speaking for the Lord 

Choose to be mistreated with God’s people rather than hiding your citizenship to escape 

Value the treasures of God more than the treasures of this world 

Embrace any sacrifice the Lord calls on you to make 

Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength 

Keep God’s commands 

Welcome and choose every form of opposition and pain and discomfort for God’s sake 

Resist and struggle against sin, even to death 

Do not make light of discipline 

Do not lose heart Endure hardship, knowing its benefits 

Respect God and submit to Him 

Consider it pure joy 

Let endurance have its full result 

Be patient and persevere 

Bear up under unjust suffering 

Patiently endure unjust suffering 

Do not commit sin or deceive to escape it. 

Do not lash out at those causing you pain 

Do not threaten 

Entrust yourself to God who will judge righteously 

Do not fear threats or be frightened 

Revere Christ as Lord 

Be prepared to give a witness for your hope, with gentleness and respect 

Arm yourself with the purpose to suffer as Christ did and with His attitude 

Do not be surprised at fiery ordeals and tests, they are expected and normal 

Rejoice at the opportunity to share in Jesus’ sufferings 

Be alert and of sober mind Resist the devil, firm in your faith 

Be aware that believers around the world are suffering for their faith 

Do not be afraid of future suffering 

Be faithful to the point of death 

May these truths from the scriptures help us all to hear and do these things that He prepared in advance for us to do, building our lives on the rock of Christ Jesus, and receiving from Him everything we need to ENDURE THROUGH SUFFERING!