The suffering

Many of us have a wrong idea about life with Christ. You may think that accepting Jesus Christ into your life is a way for you to have all your prayers and grievances answered. You think that with Him, everything in your life will surely succeed because He is God. But let me tell you, if you follow God for what He can offer you, you will lose faith very soon.

When you hear the term “Suffering” you may wonder “why?” Why as children of God would we suffer? If suffering is part of the life of the Christian, it is simply because the world is not his kingdom. We are on this earth as missionaries. Throughout our journey we will meet men and women who will be against us, who will try to fight us, just as they fought our Lord Jesus. Before leaving, Jesus Christ told His disciples that they will be persecuted and even killed because of His name. The suffering I am talking to you about here is therefore not linked to the hazards of life, but it is particularly linked to your faith, your calling, your ministry.

It is important to understand that accepting Jesus Christ into one's life is not just about words that one says, but much more about a real desire to follow and serve God no matter what. When we make this choice, we declare war on Satan. He will then try to make us abandon the faith by all means. Times of trials and suffering allow us to show the enemy how unwavering our faith in God is. Indeed, it is very easy to serve God when everything is going well. This is why true love will always be tested.

In my article (The Price You Pay) I asked you a question. I asked you why do you follow Christ. I don’t know if you have really taken the time to answer it, but know that the answer to this question will demonstrate how you will live out your faith. I remember a former classmate who once told me that she had lost her faith. I was puzzled and asked her why. She replied that she had asked God for something that He had not fulfilled. I then said to her, “Would you be happy if one of your friends rejected you because of something you had not given her?” And to this question, she had no answer. If you serve God only for His blessings, then you are no different from a profiteer, and therefore when your interests are no more, you will leave.

2 Timothy 3:11 “You saw what persecutions and sufferings I endured at Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. For what persecutions I suffered! And the Lord delivered me from them all.”

The problem with our generation is that we want to live a classy Christian life. The Christian life has realities that we cannot simply set aside when it displeases us. Sufferings are one of those realities. They are there to test our endurance and consistency. The disciples were even happy to have been counted worthy to share in the sufferings of Christ (1 Peter 4:13). However, sufferings are not eternal, the Lord will always deliver us from them as He did with Paul and we must not fear them.

Revelation 2:10 “Do not be afraid of the sufferings that await you. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison to tempt you, and you will have ten days of tribulation. Be faithful until death, and I will crown you with life.”

Sufferings demonstrate our faithfulness to God, they allow us to prove to the world that we have indeed chosen Christ. My goal in this article is not to scare you, far from it. I just want you to realize that the Christian life is not a rosy and beautiful journey. You can be like Job today, full of riches, but then you find yourself losing not only your riches but also your children and your health. Will you deny God or will you praise Him? You can be like Joseph, with lots of dreams, but tomorrow you find yourself sold and imprisoned for something you did not even do. Will you lose faith or will you persevere? Know that: whether it is Job or Joseph, God will always end up justifying those who are faithful to Him until the end. Today I want you to ask yourself this question: "Am I ready to endure everything for and with Christ?" I'm not saying it will be easy, but I pray that if your heart is willing and the Lord will strengthen you if you are going through a trial or a difficult time right now. He is faithful and just to crown you with glory.