Article title: The Art of Endurance
Username of writer: ArticleProf
We live in the trial times. People are going through trials and tribulations all over the universe, and perhaps you are too. Even as Christians, we wonder why our faith is being stretched to the point of breaking. We have been called to be over-comers in Christ, and yet we do not even know how to survive. If you are going through hardships, the book of James is written to help you through these. The book was written for the aid of a suffering church. Believers had been scattered and shaken by persecution, and like most of us today, they needed to know how to survive.
Our spiritual/Christian life is not a 100-meter race but a marathon. It is easy to start a marathon and even run well for the first few miles, but the real test comes over the long haul. The question is, will you endure to the finish line? In the spiritual race, will you be faithful through all ups and downs and hardships, even unto death? We all want to say, like Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7.
You have to understand that trials and refinement are by the grace of God. In Zechariah 13:9, God tells us,” And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on My name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is My people: and they shall say, Jehovah is my God.”
When you read Psalm 34:18, you will understand that God means good things to us even in trials and hardships. This verse tells us that God is close to the brokenhearted, and He rescues all those whose spirits have been crushed. When we bring our pain and suffering to God, we realize that this comes with a purpose and that the Lord our God, who loves us unconditionally, will show His divine power through our suffering.
How we respond to our suffering is critical to how we process what is going on and how our healing will take place. If you fill your mind with bad intentions and wrong thoughts, such as God is mad at you or God is not good, things will only escalate. You will even struggle to experience His peace as He promised in Phillipians 4:7. When you surround yourself with individuals who speak encouraging words into your life, your suffering will be much easier, and you will live a healthy life.
I want you to know that something compelling happens when you actively choose to worship when in hardships and through difficult times. Worship will change your perspective. It will change your thinking and redirect it to place all your struggles in Christ’s hands. If God allowed Jesus to suffer, yet He was His only begotten son, then we should not see ourselves as an exception. We Christians believe that God uses pain for our good. This means that even your most enormous sorrows can be your greatest joy. Think about Jesus’ suffering, punishment, shame, and death for our sins, but the result was fantastic. There was redemption for humanity and an opportunity to revive our relationship with God.
What keeps us moving is the fact that suffering will not last forever. Revelation 21: 3-4 tells us that Christ suffered willingly since He knew the result would be great. In reality, we all love movies that end with joy and happiness because we have been created knowing that if we walk with God throughout our suffering, the good ending will be our reality.
Originally posted 2022-09-04 11:28:50.
