Overcoming in Suffering

God lives and works today. Each one of us can and ought to experience Him as a reality in our lives, especially in times of suffering and difficulty. But perhaps you don't experience His help.

Your suffering depresses you or makes you rebellious or bitter. Then listen to this joyful news. God has provided a way by which we can overcome suffering and be filled with a joy and happiness that no one can take away.

We will be hearing about this in today's program called Overcoming in Suffering. If you were to ask people, what is the most dreadful and destructive power on earth, the majority would answer the power of suffering. However, in reality, there's something far more dreadful.

It isn't suffering which brings us destruction, but sin and everything that comes to us from the kingdom of darkness. I can think of several instances where people were actually blissful right in the midst of their suffering. Why were they so happy? Because they lived completely in our Lord Jesus Christ.

And when they had to let go of their earthly happiness, Jesus became so real to them and drew so close to them that their sadness was transformed to joy. Therefore, suffering in itself is not the most difficult thing we must face. Rather, the most excruciating torment comes when Satan can worm his way into our suffering and make us rebellious, bitter, and thereby separate us from God.

When this happens, our suffering brings us hell. But what should we do when we find ourselves in circumstances of suffering? How can we change the situation when we begin to rebel or even become bitter? In my own life, everything changed as soon as I declared war on my sin, on Satan and his powers. Whenever sin began to stir in my thought life, for example, in thoughts of bitterness, I took steps immediately to fight against it.

I knew that if I tolerated these thoughts in my heart, even for a minute, the spirits of darkness would be attracted as if by a magnet, and that would become true misery. And so, with all the determination of my heart, I turned to Jesus and called out in faith His victory over me. I sang verses like this one.

Jesus, He conquers all. He saved me by His blood. He saved me by His blood.

Hallelujah, hallelujah. And I experienced every time, although externally nothing has changed, my heart was immersed in peace and joy. Satan couldn't separate me from the love of God, and in God is all the strength we need to overcome the enemy.

Furthermore, through this battle of faith, my heart became centered again on heaven, the city of God. You have been listening to a program written by Basilea Schlink of the Little Land of Canaan. To learn more about how God lives and works today, visit us at our website, www.canaan.org. If you contact us, we would be happy to send you a free inspirational booklet.

If you do not have access to the web, please contact this radio station for our postal address. God bless you.