As I journey through life, I have come to appreciate every process God has taken me through – every twist and turn, roundabouts, bends and corners, etc. Studying and pondering over the Book of Exodus (the Israelites journey through the wilderness) has helped my spiritual journey in the area of trials and suffering for the name of Christ. I so planned my life that I was seeing how I will live by the time I retire but all that was messed up the moment I told God to take charge of my life. I believe some of us have experienced this the moment we are weaned enough to start handling solid food as Christians (Hebrews 5:11 – 14). I thought it strange when things started falling apart I never knew that God was tearing the wall I built (sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarrelling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these), and was about to rebuild it with His own materials (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control).

The more you get closer to God the less of you (Matthew 3:11). Because we were born in sin that nature must be torn down and the only way is the way of the Cross: carrying your cross daily (Luke 9: 22 – 23). This is the only way, and no one chooses the way his own trials and sufferings, the way it will be or how long it will take. I never knew all this before until now. I never knew that what God was doing, He was renewing my mindset as I studied and pondered over His word “day and night”. Revelation comes thereby causing my faith to increase and as the light in God’s word shines on my path, my eyes of heart becomes enlightened causing me to understand my calling, the God I serve, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the body of Christ, and where God has placed me in the whole picture of the church (Ephesians 1: 17 – 19). Beloved this thing I am writing comes from a “long rigorous walk with God” on the narrow road and this walk is still on. As I began to see things the way God sees things (Romans 12:2) just like Isaac who was put on the table of sacrifice and he never struggled with his father, I struggle less every day until I could struggle no more. Trials and sufferings are indeed a blessing to every child of God just as James 1: 2 – 4 says, “Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colours. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way (Message Bible).

Note the word “gift.” Trials and sufferings are tools God uses to prunes us, strengthen our faith, and to bring us into spiritual maturity (1 Peter 1: 6 – 9). Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it dies, it bringeth forth much fruit (John 12:24 NKJV). If you refuse to yield yourself and submit under the yoke of the Holy Spirit, you will remain hardened and not used as a vessel of honour by God (2 Timothy 2:21). Trials and sufferings are not meant to kill us rather put the flesh to death on a daily basis. Your complaints and refusal to face these light afflictions shows you can deny the Master and sell your birthright over a bowl of porridge. Having the mind to go through trials and sufferings is what the Lord considers as one who will endure till the end (Revelation 2:26a). Oh yes! Your dedication to Christ makes you look like a fool, but wise in His eyes! You may be weak, but you are so powerful! You are honoured, but we are ridiculed. You may go hungry and thirsty, without enough clothes to keep warm and no permanent roof over your head yet God uses you to be a blessing to many. You may be sick yet you pray for the sick and they are healed. Now I believe this may sound familiar so you should not see it as a strange thing when such things happen, many others believers around the world.

Beloved, don’t go praying for trials and sufferings to come or you do things on purpose that will bring sufferings to your life. Believers suffer most times because they lack knowledge. When God makes provisions and you refuse it because of “what people would say” or because He sent your enemy to give you a help (Exodus 3:22; 12: 35 – 36) if you refuse definitely you will be the one to suffer because of disobedience. Accept the help given to you and don’t go about making a mockery of the body of Christ thinking you are suffering for the Lord’s sake. Having the mind to suffer is what Christ wants to see in us (John 12:25).  We can flourish in the face of hardship because of His power at work within us. Like the pumpkin that withered, we may feel the wear and tear of our trials. But the joy of Jesus in us can continue to grow in spite of our trials and sufferings. Don’t deny yourself this spiritual growth and spiritual muscles that God is building in you. Bear in mind that it is in the place of John’s suffering that the Book of Revelation was birthed.