Suffering / Sanctification

Would like your opinions here: Suffering for the Gospel seems unavoidable, after reading the words of Jesus. Can anyone here share some of their sufferings for the faith? Has anyone here experienced any symptons of painful sanctification? In other words, as the Lord shapes you and molds you, how have you been hurt and how have to learned to grow in grace through this experience? Thank you for sharing your experiences.

I have experienced suffering for two main reasons - as God's sanctifying process, and also for my faith in Christ. So far, the first has been much more intense - God's refining fires. The pain that I experienced was usually not because of my faith, but because of my lack of it. Trials came through health troubles, family troubles, etc etc. There are a lot of amazing testimonies on this site here and there - where people share their journey through suffering. I hope that you discover them - and I'm sure that you will be as blessed and encouraged as I was.For now, I'll merely paste some links here in which I share what I learned through suffering. http://www.thewayback.net/articles/healed.htmhttp://www.thewayback.net/articles/computerlanguage.htmI don't know if this helps you at this time. Diane

Sister DianeI just read your posted testimony in this tread. For the last year I have seen in the Scripture what you have writen of concerning rest, Sabbath rest, and the understanding of what God provides that fills us with all that we need. I then went to your E-book, but by chapter two, I got this message, URL not found. Except for chapter 3, the rest of your book cannot be found. I am a rookie in more ways than you might imagine. Is there anything I can do to read your E-book?Just this Friday an older Brother in the Lord was sharing about suffering and that our suffering is the means by which God opens our minds and hearts to understanding His voice. Hearing Him and learning from Him comes in the times when we most need Him because we can do nothing else. To understand this position, opens the door to Him that waits. He teaches us to understand the depravity of our carnal minds. As we learn of our weaknesses and the futility for which we strive, He begins to show us His glory. It is His glory that overcome our corruption. It is His glory that fills us with a hope that cannot fail. The things you write of gives understanding to how we become one with Him. The few things that I have read thus far, I see the mind of Christ in them. God Bless In ChristJeff

Geraldine wrote, I felt it would have been wrong for me to post it as i feel i really had to take it all to God. Right now though i feel rejection, deep wounds and out of place Bless you, Geraldine, for sharing. Do you ever wonder where we get these crazy ideas that we shouldn't share our negative feelings, but instead, keep a stiff upper lip, try to stay saintly all the time? That's not from God. I have learned through experience that God prefers my honesty, even if it seems to be messy, tempermental, and unsanctified (like some of the Psalms) It is during those times of brute honesty that God has reached down to me and touched me with his mercy and comfort. One time, just after I had screamed at God with bitter anger, he brought a miraculous healing to me. I then realized that I had finally admitted some anger that I had bottled up for years. (this was all a work of the Spirit - my divine therapist) And after that I could move forward spiritually. And also, others were more inclined to be honest with me about themselves. While we must go to God with our honest feelings and let him help us process them, we also need to learn to trust each other because that is part of the path to healing, as expressed in this small article by Charles Finn "Please hear what I am not saying" http://www.thewayback.net/articles/pleasehearwhatiam.htm(this article has traveled around the world and is on many websites) Diane

Rookie, I don't know why those links went dead. I have had lots of computer problems since starting SI. (blame SI, why not?) I'm only a rookie when it comes to computers. In the mean time I'll try to get them to you another way. Diane

Thank you all for sharing. I was Saved in July of 2001. I had come from a background of alcohol / drug abuse + many other sins such as extreme pride, sexual perversions, etc. A co-worker gave me a NLT New Testament in the Fall of 2000, while I was still locked in sin. After much reading and considering, I finally came to a decision about Jesus the following summer. As I made my way (painfully) out of my drug / alcohol lifestyle, I must say, looking back, that God was so gracious, patient and gentle with me that it almost brings me to tears. He could have allowed me to suffer so much more if He wanted to. More than a few of my old friends truly messed up their lives from drugs / alcohol / suicide attempts / etc.There were painful times that I believe the Lord let me experience both before and after I was born again that allowed me to learn the complete folly of my sin-filled ways. And He is still teaching me today. I admit that I have a hard time sometimes accepting that God MUST change me from the creature that I currently am into a more Godly man. Thanks again for sharing and God Bless you all as you grow.

As I made my way (painfully) out of my drug / alcohol lifestyle, I must say, looking back, that God was so gracious, patient and gentle with me that it almost brings me to tears. Reading your brief testimony makes my eyes moist as well Holiday. It is great to hear how God has taken you into His arms. You are an encouragement.Let the redeemed of the Lord say so!MC

The Bible says that Jesus Christ was made perfect thru suffering. And there will be meny kinds of it.Today I have heard a good sermon that showed how a lot of the suffering comes from the carnal christians, because the carnal and the spiritual can live in peace. I have tried to post a link earlier today and it didn't work. I apologize for that one and if this one doesn;t work I apologize again.If you can listen to it: it is good. It is today's sermon on this web site. http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/kingdom_living/

I am assuming that by carnal Christian your mean a make-believer rather than a genuine believer.Nothing has changed since the Bible days. Those most hostile towards God's true followers have always been the hypocrites - those who don't see a need to repent. The NT refers to that kind of suffering more than any other type of suffering. I believe that God uses the fake "believers" to refine his true believers, build their faith, patience, maturity...and knock down their own hypocritical tendencies. (it was that way for me)Those hypocrites can be quite a pain! There is nothing more dreadful than being down and out with all kinds of troubles, and then get futher knocked down by a self-righteous make-believer who says or implies, It must be because of your sin." or, "You should just praise the Lord, and cheer up." Really it is only our pride that hurts. Someone once said to me, "If it still hurts, its not dead yet." Suffering puts our many sinful vices like pride, self-righteousness etc to death. Diane

Much of my suffering over the years has been caused by being double-minded. My coming to Christ has been messy. It's been more like a belly buster than a swan dive. Some days I'm still fish tailing into the ditches and falling down flailing like a madwoman, coming up, eyes glazed over, feeling around like some kind of paralytic. :-D But...by golly I'm still here. That's all I can say. Sometimes my husband is feeling especially mean and he says, "you haven't changed a bit." Oh, how that hurts cause I know it isn't true. God knows my heart. I try with everything in me to be honest with God and myself. Folks don't like that. They back away. That hurts. I think the worst suffering I've ever experienced has come since I've been striving to truly sell out for Christ, total abandonment. This path is so scary. So lonely. I'm looking around and noone is with me. I get confused. I'm wondering, "Am I on the wrong road? Where is everybody?" When I do run into old friends, they look at me suspiciously like I'm some kind of traitor. You know, I'm not playing the game anymore, so they aren't real happy about that. I guess you call that rejection. :-( My New Year's resolution was to embrace suffering for I have come to realize that it is the way to know God. Love, Dian.P.S. It's ok to cry.

I awoke this morning thinking about suffering, actually my own. It has been intense of late. Yesterday, I kicked against the pricks. My daughter reminded me that the only way to deal with my pain was to die. "It seems so unfair!", I cried. "Why can't people see the truth?" "Why must they run roughshod over the top of others.?"I suppose I was thinking that perhaps those who are killing me would realize the error of their ways.This morning I began to think on these things. My whole life I have avoided suffering. Who wants to suffer? Right? But, as I said in my previous post, my New Year's resolution was to embrace suffering for I have come to understand that it is the path to life. But, this morning I realized that, even though I believe suffering is necessary, I've been hoping mine would be easy. After all, I look around Christiandom and I see many who seem to have gotten off scott free.Jesus said, "No man takes my life, I lay it down." He wasn't angry with the mob who cried, "crucify him!" He presented his life on God's altar.When John the Baptist was in prison, he sent a message to Jesus asking, "Are you the One or should we look for another?" The message which Jesus sent back was profound. He said, "Blessed is he who is not offended in me." I believe it meant, your life is going to be required of you, don't be offended.In Gethsemane Jesus cried out, "Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not my will but thine be done." For so long, I have hoped that I could avoid the suffering and death, the laying down of my life. I've looked for some other way to skirt the cemetary. Now I realize that, if this cup of suffering passes me by, I cannot be transfigured. I must run to the Cross! I must set my face like a flint to go. I must see my tormentors as instruments of God's purpose. I must lay my life down willingly.As I meditated this morning, I had a vision of a freezer door standing wide open. I sat there and thought what it could mean. If a freezer door were standing open, there would be no hope of anything inside it being preserved. We must not seek to preserve our lives. We must fling open the doors and invite ruin. Oh, to be ruined for God!The only way to salvage meat that has thawed out is to cook it. Oh, to enter the fires of God and be consumed! It will be a sweet smelling savour to God.I hope this hasn't sounded morbid. We have this promise: If you lose your life, you will find it. Also, Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things (which you are concerned about) shall be added unto you. Love, Dian.

Holiday, there is a wonderful and encouraging free newsletter from the Voice of the Martyrs website, a site dedicated to informing American christians of the suffering body of Christ around the world. There is more persecution in this last century than there has been before, which is almost unimaginable, but India, China, North Korea, Indonesia, parts of Africa, Middle East, persecutes Christians very openly (Communism is militant atheism- so religious persecution comes from the government).This newsletter is very encouraging, it is prayer letter for our brothers in jail, beaten, etc. They offer a testimony of the founder, in the Action Packs or the special edition newsletter, called "Tortured for Christ" by Richard Wurmbrand (a summary is found under his name on sermonindex.net too, https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/viewcat.php?cid=50, go to Tortured for Christ).I too, suffer for my faith in ways- sometimes for obedience to Jesus Christ I have been threatened to be kicked out of the house, very seriously, but evangelizing to the man who threatened to kill me twice has been the biggest challenge, God answers prayer to keep me safe for now (I am happy to die for Christ, but want my son to be old enough to take care of himself before I go). I just wanted to share how we can share in others' sufferings too, with so much of the body of Christ suffering around the world, even today.I encourage everyone to get the monthly newsletter, it is eye-opening, and a privilege to pray for God's hurting body of Christ.www.persecution.com you can sign up there. The action packs and special edition also offer more information, even free things.