Category: wisdom

Victory Over Affliction #4

So we plow on in this miniseries on “Victory in Our Affliction”. 

 

This is part 4.

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 Part 1 is here–https://brokenbelievers.com/2010/09/23/victory-in-the-middle-of-affliction/ 

Part 2 is here–https://brokenbelievers.com/2010/10/19/more-victory-in-our-affliction/ 

Part 3 is here–https://brokenbelievers.com/2010/10/26/even-more-victory-in-our-affliction/

  

Afflictions Help Us Comfort Others

“Blessed be the(B) God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and(C) God of all comfort, 4(D) who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”   2 Cor. 1:3-4, ESV

 

Being afflicted with pain and suffering manuevers us into the place of being the source of comfort for others.  God’s comfort energizes us to touch others.  So many hurt.  They are overwhelmed by pain and live in misery. A dynamic is at work here.  My pain brings God’s comfort.  God’s comfort is transmitted to others by me.  They are blessed and are strengthened to go on and touch others.

But its all about the ‘proper use of afflictions’.  Will we ‘turn’ and become active in the special economy of God?  We must accept that God intends our affliction to be the way of blessing for others.  When we hurt so bad, we see that grace flows to those who need Him the most.

How Do We Respond to the Pain?

First of all, we cannot escape affliction.  It is inevitable.  But will it bless us and others?  Pain has an intentionally deliberate purpose for us.  Since we cannot escape the pain, it would behoove us to take it and manufacture comfort for others.  We must learn to make affliction fruitful. 

And we know that for those who love God all things work together(A) for good,[a] for(B) those who are called according to his purpose. 

Rom. 8:28, ESV

Keeping the ‘valves and lines’ open involves special attention to the sins of bitterness and anger.  These two are responsible for a great deal of frustration and impotence in the Christian’s walk.

First, We Need to Praise the Lord.

Coming and then staying in this place is critical.  We need to learn to praise from the ‘ash heap’.  “Whatever happens, keep thanking God because of Jesus Christ. This is what God wants you to do.”  1 Thess. 5:18, CEV.  Your heart must not become bitter, you must keep it sweet and responsive. “My brothers and sisters, when you have many kinds of troubles, you should be full of joy”  James 1:2

 

Second, We Should Pray.

James 5:13 says, “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray.” From the ash heap we should be in prayer.  Praying at this time should be as important as praise.  Our devotional life needs to lift a notch into these dual disciplines.  By the way, prayer is an immense blessing to our our pain.  Its like aloe vera to a bad sunburn.  Prayer has a soothing and restorative effect on our blistered spirit.

 

Third, We Should Feed at His Word.

We are instructed, “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word.”  Ps. 119:67.  When you hurt, really bad it will make your time with the Bible and its promises so precious.  When I’m in pain the Word is the most precious thing I can think of.  A topical Bible can be very helpful.

“When I am hurting,  I find comfort in your Word that leads me to life.”  Ps. 119:50

“Unless Your law had been my delight, I would then have perished in my affliction.”  Ps. 119:92

 

Four, We Should Strive to be Patient and to Have Faith.

This is not a wooden or artificial issue.  We must deliberately choose this direction, daily.  Patience is foundational and fundamental.  With it, you will survive, without it things will get ugly quick.  “Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer.”  Rom. 12:12

Faith and patience will bring us a confidence.  When we ‘believe’ with a dynamic faith, we will be able to absorb some intense issues.  If you have ever driven a car with blown shock absorbers, you will understand.

“But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”  James 1:4

Disciples Wearing Steadfastness

“The steady discipline of intimate friendship with Jesus results in men becoming like Him.”   

Harry Emerson Fosdick

 

Finally.  A voice of reason and understanding in our quest for to be Christlike.  A very simple dynamic that stresses personal intimacy.  As we walk and talk with Him we are affected, we absorb things by rubbing up to Him.  We become altered.  But it takes a “steady discipline” (that is probably the most intense words in this quote).

Steadiness is a very undervalued commodity.  This culture— my culture— has minimized this particular quality, and inflated others to take its place.  We put a new weight on certain things that eventually ‘throw off’ the equilibrium of our discipleship.  We extract ‘steadiness, or faithfulness’ from our faith and we are left with something that is only a “disciple”  in pretense or personal confusion.

Being steadfast means you are dependable and stable.  It is evidence ‘exhibit A’ that you have the Holy Spirit infecting you.

‘But as for you,(A) O man of God,(B) flee these things.(C) Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.’

1 Timothy 6:11

When we are in pursuit of something, we become incredibly focused.  Our peripheral vision is adjusted and we become focused on just reaching our goal.  Paul told Timothy to make these things his target, and then to pursue them.  But this particular verse, embedded as it is with concepts of discipleship is rarely (maybe never) given more than a fleeting glance.  Perhaps is is just too boring?

Admittedly there is a plethora of choices.  Our fellowships had just passed out spiritual menus for us to order from. (As it that were possible.)

Count it all joy, my brothers,[b] when you meet trials(F) of various kinds, 3for you know that(G) the testing of your faith(H)produces steadfastness.4And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be(I) perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

James 1:2-4

If we fully intend to become ‘biblical’ we will refocus on all that God wants to hear.  We are pretty much in peril if we buy into a gospel that is not balanced on the New Testament scales.  We will not grow at all if all we eat are “spiritual snicker bars”.

People like us are almost always trying to balance ourselves.  Bipolar depression is a vicious illness of extremes.  One day we are into this, and then we shift to another thing.  We walk a tightrope it seems, even while others are enjoying themselves in a steady, solid and comfortable walk of discipleship.  Being aware of your  balance,  propensity and momentum is a valuable asset to have.

Polluted Hearts

The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

John 10:3

But God’s strong foundation continues to stand. These words are written on the seal: “The Lord knows those who belong to him,” and “Everyone who wants to belong to the Lord must stop doing wrong.”

 

2 Timothy 2:19

Identity is necessary.  We can only prosper if we know who and exactly what we are.  This may seem basic, but it’s coming at us through a culture that is murky and foul.  The world offers up an evil concoction that pollutes and contaminates all that it can.

Our identity is exclusively based on what the Lord has done.  It is we who must ‘catch-up’.  He calls us by name, which staggers us and causes us to doubt.  Who are we, and why us?  We must deal with this ‘calling’ business– their must be some kind of mistake.

But Lord knows.  In spite of all that we know about ourselves, He entertains Himself of a more subterranean assessment of us.  He simply scoops us up, deeper and wider than we can spread out our pollution.  He picks us up beyond our ability to contaminate.  We are His, with all our foulness and evil attached.

We now have an identity.  We have become His possession.  Gummy, sticky decay and all.  We are transferred out of a poisonous and ugly situation to be transplanted into a wholesome and healing environment.  This is radical, and cannot be manipulated by our effort or control.

We find ourself to be transplanted into a good place.  And it is there where we receive our new name.  With that new name comes a new identity, and purpose.  We are no longer poisonous or toxic to others.  We cannot defile them with our concentrated evil.  Our new name begins to affect us and others.  He deals with us in a radically different manner.

He starts to lead us out by name.  This brings us a security and a contentment we have never known.  We belong to Him!  That realization is profound and staggering.  Who are we, that He should be so kind?  Our lives were embedded with evil, and darkness of every kind imaginable.  Now we are His?

He knows all that is His.  He has marked us and led us through the pollution.  We pass through the toxicity and the filth and He intends to bring us all the way out and all the way home.  We do nothing, but say ‘yes’!  It’s then we realize that we can do nothing to save ourselves.  He is quite solitary about salvation and He intends to receive eternal glory for your deliverance.

 

A Gospel That Just May Confuse Us

 

My people have been lost sheep.
      Their shepherds have led them astray
      and turned them loose in the mountains.
   They have lost their way
      and can’t remember how to get back to the sheepfold.                                                  

                                                                                      Jer. 50:6

 

Christians who wander away, or led away away, is a frequent issue with the Lord.  It’s hard to watch someone you love go in a way that brings them pain and destruction.  It hurts doubly when they get turned in the wrong direction.  Jeremiah suggests that there is a personal disobedience as well as a pastoral influence from a shepherd.

Influence from confused shepherds runs rampant through the flock of the Church.  Voices speak and men posture themselves to lure the sheep.  Programs are always percolating and brought out at an opportune time to develop and maintain a momentum and to give the sense of direction and purpose.  This sounds confusing but its not.

The prophet sees and perceives.  There is grief and pain in his words.  He witnesses of a coming judgement.  In our time, the necessity of being ‘pastored‘ has been a less of an issue because of the Holy Spirit’s contact with the believer.  We have the Spirit and His presence.  Now we can turn towards a superintending understanding of the functioning of the Holy Spirit.  But the Holy Spirit doesn’t need our pathetic attempts at pointing out our crudeness and foolishness at the situation.

Jesus Christ loves us, and comes at us through the self-generated issues that could move us to a less then a desirable condition.  But our “pastor” is Jesus, He pastors us through our confusion and sin.  His heart is looking to us.  We are to come to Him, not through a man, but through the presence of God, that envelopes us and adjusts our understanding.

We cannot pretend anymore that our issues of redemption and healing can be understood through anyone else but through the direction of our Lord except Jesus. We do not think that our intervention of a pastor, or healer will bring us any closer.  We connect through Jesus.  He has made himself the only connection of God and myself.

We dare not trust ourselves when it comes at us through so much.  He heals and strengthens through His active and present awareness of us.  We must turn from ‘deceptive noise’ and grab ahold of the promises of an authoritative voice. He rules over us with authority, and a loving voice of guidance.  He comes to us in a very real and definite way.  For He is “one on one” to us in a real recognition to us in our personal connection to the Father.

This needs to become our way that we connect.  We rest in His plan.  Nothing else will placate.  Jesus advances Himself to becoming our Lord and Saviour. We turn to Him to save us, and no one else.