Hello, Geraldine,
Regarding your comments on the suffering your are enduring:
Many Christians living in the plenty that America offers fail to see how a Christian can suffer for a long time. We have all the physical resources we need in our society for food, housing, and healing, so when we hurt, we have a solution for them. In a crisis, we often have little need for God, and therefore little opportunity to learn how to deal with our problems spiritually. For the rest of the world, they may suffer for many years with whatever bothers them. While they have a dire need for for dependence on God, they, too, have been (sadly) indoctrinated (infected) with western theology.
Also, our doctrines in America usually tell us that it is God's will for us to suffer, so we face our suffering with a kind of stoic philosophy that tells us, whatever is happening is ok with God, therefore, we accept our troubles as thought God is somehow behind it.
But to address your situation in which you said you have been suffering under for years, I would like you to notice some of these Scriptural ideas.
First of all, suffering is a reality for Christians. In all cases our suffering has its roots because we have entered the family of God, and that in itself turns the world against us. 2 Cor 4 tells us the god of this world, Satan, is in control of our realm, so if we try to seek our the true Christian life and live it, he will oppose us.
However, we see that God also has His had in our disciplining. Proverbs 13:24 and Hebrews 12:6--for whom the Lord loves He chastens, and He scourges every son whom He receives.
In fact Jesus Himself endured suffering, Heb 5:7 For Jesus, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications with strong cryings and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard in that He feared, 8 though being a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.
In order to learn obedience, Jesus Himself, in the days of His flesh, had to suffer.
However, it is NOT His will that we suffer, the above passages simply say that there are REASONS that we suffer. Jesus us taught us to pray that our Father's will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
Hosea 4:6 says, for lack of knowledge my people perish.
Isa 5:13 Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge.
Because we lack proper knowledge, we can suffer for extended periods of time, even as Hosea said, unto to the point of perishing.
Some will object, that those passages are from the Old Testament, and do not apply to us. But even John twice spoke about, "I write unto you, young men, because you have overcome the wicked one." We have to learn to overcome Satan.
It is Satan who afflicts us with destruction: Joh 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.
Remember, the Israelites went through the wilderness for 40 years before they were allowed to enter the promised land. They were kept out, because they had not learned the essential lessons they needed to know in order to overcome the evil one, Satan.
It is a Scriptural principal that we are not allowed to overcome too soon or too easily, but must grow spiritually in order to acheive our victories:
Deu 7:22 And the LORD thy God will put out those nations before thee by little and little: thou mayest not consume them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee.
So there are many reasons for our suffering. But the clear promise is, whatever we are suffering, we can overcome it by using Scriptural, spiritual principals that will lead us to victory.
Joh 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal and to kill and to destroy. I (Jesus) have come so that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Act 10:38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and He went about doing good, and healing all those who were oppressed by the Devil, for God was with Him.
So we know that whatever we suffer can ultimately be traced back to the demonic, and our victory ultimately is won through Christ. We just need to know and apply the spiritual laws that will give us our life and freedom through Christ.
Learning to accept our suffering in this life, justifying it as something given us within the will of God, is simply not an option according to Scripture. We are repeatedly promised victory, and anything less is just not our destiny in Christ.
Whatever you are dealing with reject it, resist it, fight it, and eventually victory will come. The reason we do not achieve our victory is that we lack the spiritual leaders who know how to fight and overcome the evil in which the satanic entangles us.
Our Father has given us all the tools we need to overcome the evil one. May you be blessed with knowledge in the course of your battle.
