We’re all going to face trials and suffering.
Oh my God, I hate to say that, but here is the truth: Because we live on planet Earth and we are humans. We are living the life that the human experience is having, we’re living the life that Jesus lived. He experienced trials and suffering.
And so that unfortunately is what we all are dealing with, or we’ll deal with.
Today, I want to talk to you candidly about how to handle when you’re going through trials and suffering.
I don’t even like to talk about this subject because it’s not a fun one.
It’s not something that we all have a full understanding of what happens, why it happens and all the things.
We just know that because it’s in the Bible, that Jesus dealt with trials and suffering, which means that we too are going to deal with those things.
And I have navigated seasons of trials and suffering.
A lot of times really bad. But then other times were fairly good.
So when I look at living this life as a Christian, as a person that, with a human body, means we’re having the human experience.
We get birthed by a woman, we get cared for by someone or some people, and then we have to navigate growing up, learn how to read, how to walk, how to talk.
That also means that we, as the Bible says, don’t wrestle against flesh and blood but against rulers and power.
That means we’re living the human experience with God and then the angelic, but also with the devil and demons.
That means that we’re also dealing with the power of choice of being able to choose.
What we say, what we do, how we act, how we react.
And one of the areas where I feel like people get so angry with God is when someone hurts someone else.
I’ll give you an example, the world trade center bombing in the United States, Columbine or school shootings, people getting murdered, raped, and things like that.
We all have heard or lived stories where we have these moments when we ask where was God.
If I am His, and He is mine, and He is my protector, where was He?
Why didn’t he protect me?
These days, I’m recovering from a major surgery and for the last five years, I have been standing and believing in God for complete and total healing.
There is an aspect of me that has been suffering through pains in my body, like just crazy and I have found myself being like, “God, where are you?”
“If you are my healer, if you do all these things for other people, where are you, why aren’t you healing my body?”
Honestly, it has been really hard mentally, emotionally, and physically.
It has also been very hard spiritually not understanding the God who knows everything and does all the supernatural miracles.
And one of the things that I have done and I’m continuing to do through this journey is to stay close to God.
You have to stay close to God even though you are hurt, disappointed, and devastated, no matter what you’re experiencing.
We still have to stay close to God because we are going through this thing and don’t know why it happened.
Why keep closer to God?
First, the truth is that since it’s happening we have to acknowledge it.
And we have to realize that we have two choices.
Choice #1: I can talk to God about this, be upset with him, vent all the things, and just stay close, just like a best friend or mom.
Choice #2: I can distance myself from him, which means I bring myself closer to the enemy and his influences during this trial.
As some people will say, I’m not going to go run into the devil.
And when we’re here on the earth, there is God and the devil. Period.
If you choose to close yourself off to God, then are open to the devil, whether you like it or not.
So when you’re having these hard things happening, it’s really important that no matter what, you still talk to God about it.
I have been dealing with this situation with my body and I just continue to talk to God about it.
Just continue to talk to him.
I share my hurt, my anger, and my frustration.
I’m constantly saying to God that I’m mad and upset.
That I’m disappointed. I ask Him: what are you doing?
And also saying, until you heal me, what do you want me to do?
What do I do in between this time?
And what do I do?
Here’s what I’ll say about the surgery that I just had.
While I’m struggling with healing from the surgery I just wanted God to supernaturally heal my body.
He did not do that.
I don’t know what will happen in the next week
And right now my body has not been completely healed
But what I have seen him do is miracles with my insurance company.
I’m in shock at what has been happening with my insurance.
I have been impressed at the amount of people who are supporting me to help me heal during the post-surgery.
The willingness of people to show up and help me during the healing process.
I have been amazed at my team.
I have been shocked at the amount of money coming into my company.
So instead of harping on the fact that he hasn’t done what I want him to do, I have to focus on what he is doing.
Oh! My grandma passed away, why didn’t God heal them? It’s very painful and devastating.
But once I came out of the pain, I realized what am I doing.
And I told myself, to stay close to him because if I don’t stay close, I can’t feel and see what he is doing, versus what he didn’t do.
I hate to hear it when someone gets hurt by another human being and I have to remind people when they are ready to hear that God didn’t want that to happen.
He didn’t want that person to do that to that person.
Why didn’t he stop him? I don’t know the answer to that.
But what I do know is we all get the freedom to do what we want to do.
That’s like us, all of us sin.
And we are sinning because we are choosing to do something.
And a person that hurts someone is making a choice.
I do know instances where God has told a person not to do it, don’t go there, turn around, and keep the person from hurting someone.
Or tell a person, don’t go to that event, that party, don’t go with that person to keep from what was going to happen.
And I don’t know if God has done that to every person that has something that happened to them.
I’m just giving you an example. God was telling me not to marry my ex, but I didn’t know what he was saying.
He was using these different scenarios and dreams and I didn’t understand cause I wasn’t seeking him and asking him what he was saying.
So one of the things that you have to do when these things happen is you got to stay close to God in prayer.
You have to stay close to him.
You don’t have to be in denial.
You don’t have to act like you’re not disappointed, but you do need to stay close to him because he is going to be your very best friend.
The second thing you want to do is make sure that you cling to God’s promises that are in the scriptures.
The scriptures will tell you exactly what God wants to happen, and what he intends to happen.
And what does that do?
It helps your faith and helps while you are in the midst of the trial.
When my business was having financial troubles I remembered what God promised me.
And when I was nervous about the surgery God’s promises reminded me that I was going to be okay and make it out of the surgery with flying colors.
I have to remind myself of what God has already said and also what is in the scriptures.
Otherwise, my mind and the devil will tell me everything else.
I’m clinging to what is true and not to fear, anxiety, and the lies from the enemy.
then if I’m clinging to what is true, I’m doing good.
The last thing you want to do is to remind yourself of the times when God was faithful in terms and came through for you.
For example, when I was having that time with my business, I had to remind myself, do you remember when you were dealing with this money over here and then God asked you to shift and do this?
You were afraid to make that shift, but then what happened?
Everything just exploded.
God is true.
He has promised you this and you’re dealing with this down here, but you’re going to be okay.
I promise you he’s going to take care of you.
And while I’m on this journey of my body, he keeps reminding me of a prophetic word I got a couple of years ago where I was at the gym, wearing a sports bra, and my stomach was just so flat.
But right now my stomach is huge because I have fibroids on my uterus.
And during this time I’ve been thinking if God is saying that my stomach is going to be flat, then that means.
These fibroids are going to be gone and I’m going to be working out and everything’s going to be great.
Either he’s going to do it supernaturally or he’s going to do it through surgery.
And I’ve been holding onto that because that person had no idea what I was dealing with.
But I’ve been holding onto that promise because I believe that’s the truth.
I’ve seen myself doing all these things in my life, serving all these people.
So I have to testify one of what God has already done, what is already promised, and then where I’m walking today.
I do not have all the answers when you’re facing a test and trials and when really bad things have happened to you or people that you know.
But what I know is that the same God that you loved, cared for, and trusted before all that happened is the same today.
And he wants to invite you on a journey of you staying close because he wants to be your closest friend and confidant.
Your father, mother, and comforter.
All the things you need in life.
Thank you so much for reading.
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