Without passing through persecution, temptation, tribulations, adversities, poverty and discouragement, it will be difficult for any true believer to really make it ultimately to heaven.
The reason for this is because the road that leads to heaven is filled with all the aforementioned experiences and even more. It is through these experiences that we are purged and refined to come out like the gold, the very quality and standard that God will want us to attain in order to qualify for heaven.
Many of us have read about and or heard of Job’s trials when the enemy visited him with all sorts of calamities. He said, in the scorching heat of his pain and grief,”… when he (God) had tried me, I shall come forth as gold”.
This man lost all his children (10 of them) in one day. As if that was not tragic enough, he lost all his wealth, and businesses one after the other in quick succession.
A man who was swimming in opulence up till a few hours before, all of a sudden lost everything and became very very poor and wretched just like that.
Not only that, he also lost his health. He became very sick with a very strange sickness, to the point of death. But it all started when Satan was, in his usual manner, walking to and fro: up and down the face of the earth (of course looking for whom to devour.
God spoke to him and said: “Whence comest thou?”. That was when the sons of God, (obviously, God’s angels) came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them” . Of course, intruding upon them.
He told God, in response to God’s question and said: “… From going to and fro in the earth and from walking up and down in it”. This was Satan’s reply. But don’t forget that he intruded into the gathering of the “sons of God” when they came to present themselves to God.
Then God said to him, “…Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God and escheweth evil?”
From these verses, we can see that it was God who started the dialogue with Satan. God actually boasted about Job to Satan and that Job was upright and there was no man like him in the earth, in uprightness.
To my own understanding or inference, the time for God to test Job had come and he needed to prove him. I mean to prove job’s commitment to God.
Then Satan replied God and said “Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast hast blessed the work of his hands and his substance is increased on the land. But put forth thine hand now and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face”.
And the Lord said unto Satan, behold all that he hath is in thy power, only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So, Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord”.
That marked the beginning of Job’s tribulation and adversities. He didn’t know what had transpired between God and Satan behind the scene. He only began to notice strange and calamitous occurrences on his life all of a sudden.
What transpired between God and Satan behind the scene was not known to Job. As Satan moved in and took over Job’s house and began to unleash terror and turn things upside down, God too withdrew his protection and presence from him. So Job was left at the mercy of Satan.
All the lamentations and prayers that Job made to God were as if God was no more on his throne, because his case and situation kept getting worse and worse instead. But, he stayed put with God in spite of his ugly experiences and situation. At a point even in the heat of his tribulation and adverse condition, he declared right to the face of Satan, “…I know that my redeemer liveth…” A statement of faith to encourage himself.
Now let us take a closer look at the transaction that went on between God and Satan. God said to Satan: “Have you considered my servant Job? He is upright and does no evil!”.
And Satan said, “O yeah?! You just give me the permission to go and deal with him, and you will see how he will turn away from you and curse you to your face. He is only faithful to you because you have blessed him on every side. Take away all the good things you are doing for him now and see how he will deny you”. God said to him: “Go ahead!” (Paraphrased).
All that Satan needed was God’s permission which he got and moved into operation immediately.
My dear Christian believer, do you know that God still does the same thing about us you today as he tries our faith and trust in Him? You’d better believe it, He still does.
Job suffered all sorts of pains in the hands of Satan, yet he never uttered any bad or negative words of unbelief against God. He maintained his integrity and faith in Him.
When Satan had done all within his power against Job and had no other thing to do; neither did Job shift ground on his stand with God, Satan was put to shame.
God who is ever faithful, then came to his rescue and turned his situation around. God restored double all his lost possessions and days; wasted by Satan. In addition, God gave him ten brand new children, seven males and two females, and then added 140 years to Job for him to live and enjoy his wealth, prosperity and new life.
My beloved Christian believers, this God has not changed; he is still the same and does the same even in this our present times. He has not and will never change. What he did to compensate Job after trials and tribulations he will still do to all who will stick to him through thick and thin.
For the period of over thirty years that I have walked closely with him, I can tell without mincing words, that I have proved him very very faithful to whoever remains with him without fearing or doubting anything. God is ever faithful and ever sure.
The problem many Christian believers have is impatience and self pity. They are in a hurry to jump out of challenges and problems. They find it hard to endure a little and allow God to purge and refine them to become like gold. They are not ready and willing to give God a chance in their lives
You cannot wake up and become like Apostle Peter. You cannot wake up and become like Apostle John. You cannot wake up and become like Apostle Paul. No, you have a price to pay. You must offer yourself “a sacrifice acceptable to God”.
There is one thing that can make you to come to know God more and better, that thing is the trial of your faith. It is at this time, the time of painful trials and tribulations that will begin to know God more and clearly hear from Him.
Take note, it is at such a time that God will begin to show and reveal to you the blue print of your life. It is at such a time that God will begin to show you the secrets of your life. It is at such a time that God will begin to open your spiritual eye and ears. It is at such a time that God will begin to endue you with power, knowledge, understanding and divine wisdom. It is at such a time that you will learn how to apply your spiritual authority and dominion over contrary situations.
In fact, there are many mysteries that God will open to you at such times. Trials and tribulations are tools in the hand of God to make a powerful invincible champion out of you.
The Christian believers who can get to this level are only those who can persevere. It is those who can endure hardness. It is those who can remain determined to push on. It is those who will decide not to look at their ugly situations but rather to continue to look unto Jesus. It is those Christian believers who will choose to talk more to God and less to man. It is those Christian believers who will maintain positive outlook and confession and shun all the suggestions of Satan and his messengers.
There are many things a Christian believer will learn during this difficult time. It is at such a time that you will begin to identify the way God speaks to you. And it is important that every Christian believer learns this aspect of his relationship with God early enough and expect to hear from Him because He will always speak. Trust me.
Impatient believes will claim that God did not answer their prayers. If you try a little to understand God, you will discover that He answers prayers. His answer can be positive or negative. It can also come in the form of asking you to wait patiently and continue praying. His answer to our prayers can come in any form. In any case, He answers our prayers. It is our responsibility to understand or decode what He is telling us.
For instance, you may be too eager or desperate to get something and, though that thing you desire is quite legitimate, yet God may ask you to hold on a little more or even forget about it. What ever God says or does is what we must take . He knows better and is wiser than you and I are. I am telling you from personal experiences that whatever God does to you is for your own good and is a sign of His deep love for you. It may be difficult for you to understand, God knows the end from the beginning, so He may deny you what you think you rightly deserve because you may end up regretting later. He knows already how it will end but you don’t knock. You are only looking at what you might enjoy temporarily. You are just a man with limited knowledge and understanding but God is the Omniscient God.
Do your best to understand the pattern of God’s communication with you. You will surely begin to enjoy your relationship and walk with Him, your heavenly Father.
I personally have proved that nothing can be more pleasant, gratifying and sweeter on earth and in a believer’s life than an intimate relationship with God. He is real indeed.
Come closer to God. Speak more often with Him. Study His word, meditate on it and do what it teaches. Put the will of God above all else. Put your own will under the will of God and always do His own rather than yours. Do all to please rather than self and man in everything. Talk more to God than you talk to man.
Stand for and defend His word and His name at all times and in all things. Preach His word and teach it. Find out your area of calling and get into God’s business.
Love God and demonstrate this love by totally depending on Him. He knows your capabilities and your weaknesses. Be clean and pure inside and outside. God is holy and does not compromise His holy nature. If you will be His beloved child, holiness must become your way of life. Your heart must be pure at all times.
If your heart is filled with evil and unclean thoughts, it will be difficult for you to be intimate with God. You cannot harbour immoral thoughts in your heart and still expect God to be close to you. You cannot harbour hatred, jealousy, envy, resentment and such negative things in your heart and feel free before God at the same time. As a matter of fact, these are some of the attributes of a person who has not even been born again or who is yet to receive the new birth. So, such should not be once mentioned among you that have become saints.
Finally, I want to summarize by declaring that no true Christian believer should avoid or run away from temptations, trials and tribulations including persecutions.
I will round off by bringing in these inspiring quotes for our encouragement and learning:
“Rainbows are beautiful, but it takes both rain and sunshine to create one. It’s the same thing with life. In most lives, there are dark and bright spots; there is joy and sorrow. The few people who have never known adversity invariably don’t have lives that are as rich and satisfying as those who have.
If you can handle it, adversity makes you stronger. It makes you a kinder and more empathetic person. At the end of a life without adversity, it’s hard to find a rainbow. We cannot control the tragic things that happen to us, but we can control the way we face up to them”.
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