1 Aug 2014 by Kim Yung CM-
“Adversities face us every day but there is always some good that comes out of even the worst adversity we face” shared Pastor Dr Paul Chen at the River of Life Sanctuary, Bandar Puteri on the 20th of July, 2014. At any time, we have the wonderful privilege of pouring out our heart before God and telling Him exactly how we feel. There is always a purpose for adversity, one side is positive and stimulates spiritual and emotional growth; the other carries the potential to defeat and destroy us.
Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)
Types of Personal Adversities People Face
- Earning a living, paying our taxes, raising our families and taking care of their health.
- Everyday, people are killed in road, air or over the sea accidents.
- A family member may be seriously ill with an incurable disease.
- We may lose our job.
- We may get robbed.
- Family relationships may be under great stress.
We may even face adversity in the form of having to face an unreasonable, angry, frustrated, and even bitter person that makes other people’s lives unpleasant. According to the Bible, Job faced this adversity too. When misfortune hit him, his friend Elihu said, “But now you are laden with the judgment due the wicked; judgment and justice have taken hold of you” (Job 36:17). His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!” (Job 2:9). However, despite these adversities, Job replied in Job 2:10 and said, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” In all this, Job did not sin with his lips.”
Then I would still have this consolation—
my joy in unrelenting pain—
that I had not denied the words of the Holy One. (Job 6:10)
For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. (Job 19:25)
The apostle Paul gives us an example of the adversity in his life and how he learned to respond to its presence. He too rebuked the adversity and responded with:
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:4-7)
That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:10)
Even when Paul encountered a slave girl with a demonic spirit that led to his arrest, where he was beaten and imprisoned at Philippi, he did not give up and continued to persevere and respond positively. This is because he knew what he had to do from the time he received the vision of a man crying for help in Acts 16:9. His Macedonian call succeeded and Philippi was the first ‘European’ city that Paul evangelized, which went triumphantly westward as it becomes the first city to be evangelized in Europe.
Through these examples, we can see the significant leading of the Holy Spirit and the missionaries who were sensitive to His leading. They took the route of prayer and relied heavily on the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Had Paul followed his own plans, he would have been confined to Asia. Just as the missionaries before us who continuously sought after the Holy Spirit for their journey ahead, we too should do the same in order for us to see the plans God has for us. Blessed are those who seek the Lord wholeheartedly in all they do and respond according to His purpose.
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. (John 3:18)
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