 You guys, the word that I have to share with you today, it's a different sort of a word for me, okay? About two weeks ago, I woke up in the middle of the night, 2.30, three o'clock in the morning, and suddenly this message just downloads into my heart, and I'm hearing only spirit, just speaking very clearly to me. A week later, same thing happens, and God just keeps downloading these scriptures into my heart. And so I believe that the word that I have to share with you today, though it's different for me, I believe that it's timely and in season, because God wants to nourish us. He wants to feed our souls. I believe what I have for you today is spiritual food. You know, Pastor Richard, when he preached a couple of weeks ago, or maybe it was last week, he said that God wants to take us from the milk, you know, feeding us with milk to feeding us with real spiritual food. These are the things that are gonna help us walk with the Lord daily. When the challenges of life come, what is going to sustain you, amen? So the word that I wanna share with you today, I believe that this word is gonna make you strong in the Lord, hallelujah. So the title of my message today is the suffering of the saints. I wanna share with you the different types of suffering so that if and when you experience these kinds of suffering in your life, you will know how to handle each one. So I have for you four types of suffering. I'm gonna list through them and then I'm gonna talk about them a little bit more in depth. So the first type of suffering that we experience in life is called a test. So a test is a life situation provided by God to evaluate man's individual moral character and obedience to his laws. Proverbs chapter 17 verse three says this, fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but the Lord tests the heart. Psalms 139, 23 says, search me, oh God, and know my heart, test me, and know my anxious thoughts. And Job 2310 says, but he knows where I am going and when he tests me, I will come out as pure gold. So the first type of suffering that we go through is testing. The second type of suffering that we might go through is called a trial. A trial is often a type of testing that lasts over a period of time. Psalms 26 verse two says, put me on trial, Lord, and cross examine me, test my motives and my heart. So when you're in a trial, Holy Spirit is cross examining your heart. The third type of suffering that we may experience is called tribulation. Tribulation is a state of great trouble or suffering, often an extended time of sorrow. All you need to do is read the book of Job and you will understand what I mean by tribulation, amen. For those of you who have read the book of Job, you will understand that he went through an extended time of sorrow. It was testing that went on and on and on. It felt like it was never going to end, but there was an end in sight, amen, that he had to keep his focus on Jesus Christ in order to be able to endure to the end. We're gonna come back to that in a moment, but I wanna share with you the fourth type of testing. And there are some of us in this room. We know this one all too well. The fourth type of suffering is tragedy. Tragedy is an event causing great suffering, often ending in loss. You see, the thing about tragedies is that they are often unexplainable. They are hard to understand and very difficult to accept. Now I'm not saying that this is a comprehensive list of the different kinds of suffering that we may experience because many of these words are used interchangeably throughout the Bible. So this is not a comprehensive list, but the point of this list is not to teach you terminology, but to help you understand your different experiences in life, amen? Because every single one of us will experience suffering in our lives. So what am I saying? Am I saying that because you're a Christian that you're gonna suffer? Well, on one hand, yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. As a Christian, you will suffer. But on the other hand, I'm also saying that as a Christian, you will experience joy unspeakable and grace upon grace. And you will see the mercy and favor of the Lord operating in your life. Life is a balance. Every single one of us experiences the vicissitudes of life, the highs and lows, the ups and downs. But what's important is how you handle the difficult times in life. As a child of God, your suffering will never, ever be in vain, amen? There is a purpose for everything that we go through. And if I can say one thing, my experience in life have taught me this, that nothing happens for nothing. Nothing in your life that you experience if you trust in God will ever go to waste, amen? And there are purposes to the things we suffer. In Ecclesiastes chapter three, it says to everything there is a purpose and a time or to everything there's a season and a time for every purpose under heaven, you will go through stuff. But there is a reason and a season for the things that you go through. So I wanna explain to you some of the reasons and the purposes of our suffering. So number one, we go through testing to learn obedience. Mm, let that one sting just a little bit, okay? To learn obedience, Hebrews chapter five, verse eight says this, that even though Jesus was God's son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. Even Jesus himself was taught obedience through the difficult things that he had to go through, through his own times of testing, through the times that he was in the garden where the enemy came and tested him at the garden of Gethsemane. He, Jesus learned obedience through that time of suffering. Have you ever been out somewhere and you felt this nudge like maybe you should pay for the person's food that you went out or you felt a nudge to pay the grocery bill for the person in front of you at the store, but knowing that if you were to do that, that it would be the last money in your bank to cover their bill. Have any of you experienced that or maybe you've gone to, yeah, I see some hands, mm, yes. Or maybe you were out with your friends and this might be some of the young people, but hey, you know, this is also for all of us older people as well and myself included. Have you ever been out going to the movies and suddenly you hear a soft voice tell you, don't go? Oh, you don't know why. You're like, this is gonna be a good time, but you feel very clearly in your heart not to go. These things, they may feel minor, but oftentimes in the moment, they really hurt because it's something that you don't want to do. I don't wanna give the last money in my bank to help this person in front of me because then I will have nothing or I'm trying to be out with my friends and I'm not doing anything wrong, it's a PG movie, but why can't I go? Why do I feel that in my heart? You know, these things seem minor, but they hurt in the moment and it's a little tiny bit of suffering, but it's through these tests that we learn obedience to God. Hallelujah. For example, how can God trust us with the spirit of prophecy or any other spiritual gift for that matter if we are not under the check and conduct of the Holy Spirit? Hallelujah. It's through those times of testings that we learn to hear the voice of God and obey him at his word. If you want to be used by God, which many of us we pray that, use me, Lord, use me. I wanna be used by you, God. You have to be yielded to the Holy Spirit. Are you trustworthy before God Almighty? Can God trust you with his spiritual gifts, with his wisdom, with his word, with his knowledge? Are you trustworthy? Through testing, you will learn obedience. Number two, we go through trials to learn to trust only God. Amen. In 1 Peter verse one, six through seven, it says this, so be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while, these trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold, though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. Hallelujah, hallelujah. Through many trials that we go through, those extended times of testing that we go through, our faith is purified. Our genuine faith is tested. And when we stand before God, God will see the genuineness of our faith. It's through these extended times of testing through trials that we learn to put our trust in only God and not in the things of this world, because this world can never satisfy you. This world does not have the answers to life's questions, but God Almighty certainly does. Hallelujah, hallelujah. It's funny because we sing songs like purify my heart, God. Make me as gold and precious silver. You've got that new song out by Stephanie Gretzinger. How does it go? I wanna be tried by fire, purified. Take all of my desires, Lord, here's my life. Or here's the classic, I surrender all. But do we really know the meaning of those words? We are inviting God to put us on trial. We're inviting God to cross-examine our hearts when we sing those songs. I implore you, sing those songs when you're ready because when you invite Holy Spirit to do that, oh, he certainly will. You say purify my heart and he says, let's do it, sister, let's do it, brother. I'll put you to the test. But it's because God cares about your faith, because faith is the only thing that pleases God. The Bible says that we need to come to him and believe that he is, he's the one who exists and that he is the rewarder of those who diligently seek him, amen. So when we sing these songs, why are we surprised when hard times come? I don't know about you, but I've never come across a trial or a test that was easy. Trials and tests are no walk in the park. But man, do they change us? They change us and mold us into who we are supposed to be in Christ. That we are becoming more like Christ through these times, being molded and purified so that God can use us to no longer trust in the things of this world. I am reminded of even when Sarah laid down all of her vaping tools, because the world can only offer temporary pleasure, temporary solutions to your problems. But when you learn to put your trust in only God, you don't need those things anymore. You don't need those things to satisfy your heart or your cravings because your heart is satisfied by Holy Spirit. The one who already gave everything for you, hallelujah, trust only God. So my husband often says this, in times of trials and troubles, you will not rise to the occasion, but you will fall to the level of your training. Many of us we think, okay, well, when I put on, put to test, I will rise to the occasion. I will do really good. When the fire comes, I'll stand. But it doesn't work like that. You will always fall to the level of your training. So how are you preparing your heart? As a child of God, your journey with Christ matters. It matters what you do daily. Do you make God's word the standard for your life? Do you dwell in the secret place of the most high God and find rest in the shadow of the Almighty, Psalm 91.1? Do you find your secret place here? Because when you do, when the trials of life come and when testing comes, you will be ready to stand. As it says in Ephesians chapter six, when the battles come and the warfare comes and you've done all that you can, then stand. You can only do that. If this is the word on your lips, if this is the meditation of your heart, only this is pleasing and acceptable to the Lord. Amen. Are you feeding yourself with truths? What you prepare for in your good season will carry you through your hard season. You will find yourself in God's word in every story and every single verse. So take it all in. Learn about what he's done for other people within his word, watch testimonies, see the way that God is still moving and your trust in him will grow. It will not be the world that will bring you comfort. Only Jesus can do that. Hallelujah. Don't lean on the things of this world because they will fail you every single time. Okay, enough about that. Number three, we go through tribulations to develop endurance. Tribulation is often found in a prolonged challenge that we face. This type of suffering is usually experienced maybe once, twice, three times in our life. When God wants to take you to the next level, at this point you've likely learned some obedience to God. You're learning to trust only in him so now it's time to test your endurance. Have you ever prayed for God to use you? None of you, wow, okay. Okay, there we are. There's the children of God, I see you now. Okay, maybe the people on Zoom here are a little more engaged. Then you might experience this tribulation that I'm talking about. I'm gonna give you an example of Apostle Paul when he was in prison and in chains for many, many years and he was being used by God. He suffered great sorrow for a prolonged period of time but he endured to the very end. Philippians chapter one, verse 28 through 30 says this, don't be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed but you are going to be saved even by God himself for you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. We are in this struggle together. You have seen my struggle in the past and you know that I am still in the midst of it. Apostle Paul gave us some of the greatest epistles that we read in the New Testament. What a great example of endurance, of living the life with faith, truly running that race with endurance, hallelujah. In Romans chapter five, verse three, Apostle Paul says, and not only that but we also glory in tribulations knowing that tribulation produces perseverance. Another translation that says tribulation produces endurance. You need endurance. Why? Oftentimes, because oftentimes in tribulation you have very little power to control your circumstances. The only thing that you can control is your reaction. How do you handle your times of sorrow, prolonged suffering? Your reaction matters. Let me give you an example. Many of you probably know this already as our church family and those who have heard our story online but three years ago my husband was essentially deported from the United States of America. One year into marriage and suddenly our world came crumbling down. We tried everything to expedite this process. We tried pulling every string. We called all of our legislators. We called our congressmen. We were about ready to write a letter to the president. I mean like we were desperate, God, fix this, fix it now. Nothing we did changed the situation. We had to take every moment step by step. Everything that happened to us for three years people of God. We had to trust in God. Yeah, we were beat up a little bit. I'm not gonna lie. There were some things that we were just confused. Like, Lord, what happened? Why is this happening to us? Like, Job, God, why me? Of all this trouble, what did I do? But oftentimes when we go through tribulations it's not because we did anything bad. In fact, it usually means you're on the right track. It usually means that God is trying to take you to the next level. Why do you need endurance? Because this world will not last. We are engaged in a warfare every single day. You may not feel it, you may not see it, but every day there is spiritual warfare that is happening here on this earth. And the moment that you get plugged in and you get engaged to what God is doing, you're gonna see the battle that's happening here on earth. And you need endurance because when you're fighting in a battle you have to fight to win, amen? Hallelujah, how many of you are gonna fight to win? Amen. Ooh, let me share this scripture with you. Hebrews chapter 12 verse one through three. This is gonna encourage you today, I know. Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God's throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from simple people. Then you won't become weary and give up. When you understand what Jesus Christ has already done, but he's already paved the way and that that same Jesus Christ, the spirit of the living God is the one living in you, you will understand that greater is he that is in me than the one who is in the world. Hallelujah. He gets you in a one-two punch. He will try to get you by wearing you down. How much can you take? Ask Job and he will tell you it's not easy. How much can you take? But when you keep your eyes on the Lord and you endure, you will see the goodness of God in the land of the living. Amen. You will rise again. You will rejoice and be glad again. So let me ask you, how are you preparing your heart for this journey of life? Because the truth is, suffering in life is not a matter of if, but when. So you choose. Will I spend my time with the Lord and allow him to prepare and change my heart so that I may be ready for whatever comes my way? I say this not to scare you, but to strengthen you. Because Jesus has already told us this in his word that these things will come. He didn't hold back or try to protect us from this knowledge. He flat out said, in this life you will have trouble, but take heart because I have already overcome the world. John 16, 33, look it up, carry that scripture in your pocket because Jesus has already overcome the world. He was clear. He was clear. But he was also clear in his message when he said, I will be with you. Amen. Number four, we experience tragedies to remind us that this world is not our home. People of God, we are just passing through. In John chapter 17 verse 14, Jesus refers to his disciples when he says, the world hates them because they do not belong here. The world hates them. They do not belong here just as I do not belong to this world. This world is not your home. You're just passing through. As a child of God, you have another home. You have another hope to look forward to, amen. This world is just a temporary dwelling place. It's not where you belong. And tragedy and grief and loss, these are all reminders that we don't belong here. So when you go through times of deep sorrow and anguish, your vantage point matters. Isaiah chapter 40 verse 31 says, but those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and they will not faint. If you're experiencing a tragedy in your life, a loss or you're grieving right now, I wanna ask you from which vantage point are you seeing your situation? Are you down on the bottom face to face with everything that's happening to you? Or are you soaring high on the wings like eagles with God Almighty so that you can see the divine and sovereign plan of God working in your life, even in the midst of sorrow and trouble and pain? Your vantage point matters. Are you allowing God to carry you high above the clouds and wrap you in the shadow of his wings like it says in Psalm 91 verse one? Philippians chapter three verse 10 through 11 says this, I wanna know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead. Hallelujah. As a Christian, your suffering is different than the suffering of this world because your suffering has a time limit. Amen. When you live for Christ, you can be sure of one thing. You will never suffer longer than your time here on earth. Oh. Because suffering only exists on this side of heaven, hallelujah. We're reminded in Romans 8 28 that what the enemy meant for evil in our life that God can take it and turn it around for our good, that even when we suffer, God can still use your pain and turn it into something beautiful. God can still use your mess and turn it into a message, amen. And he does this every single time, every single time. And when you fully understand that there is nothing in this world to cling to, that's when you can fully enjoy the beauty of God's creation. When you know that this world is only a foretaste of heaven, that's when your perspective begins to shift. That's when death loses its sting, sorrow is turned into joy and your mourning is turned into dancing. So change your perspective today. When you experience tragedy in your life, remember I don't belong here anyways. This world is not my home, so I can still rejoice. I can still be glad in the faithful promises of God because I have hope of tomorrow. I have the hope of heaven. I have hope of resurrection in my life and that one way or the other, I will experience the resurrection from the dead and I will receive. There is no sorrow in heaven, no sorrow. And even the sorrow that we experience here on earth will be long forgotten when we reach our home, when we make it to the end. Like it says in Hebrews chapter 12, when we run this race with endurance set before us because our hope is in one thing. In the finished works of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. But people of God, there is a suffering far greater than you and I could ever even imagine or fathom. And that sorrow comes from separation from God. Do you know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior? Have you made him the Lord of your life? Because all of this that I'm talking about when I refer to the different kind of suffering that we face as children of God, suffering is not limited to Christians. Yes, we experience suffering like everyone else. Suffering happens to everyone, regardless of whether Jesus is your Lord and Savior or not, but the question is, how will you suffer? Will you suffer alone and without help, without hope of tomorrow, without the hope of the world walking with you every single day? Or will you allow the things that you suffer to go in vain and you're suffering to not end here on earth but continue to an even greater suffering that you can never imagine? Our suffering as Christians bring us closer to Jesus and strengthens our confident hope in our salvation. But without God, your suffering will only lead you to more sorrow. I wanna take this opportunity because I know that God is moving. I can feel the presence of God here today. And I believe that there are people in this room that you hear this message and you are connecting to every word that is being spoken, but the difference for you is that you don't have that hope that I'm talking about, that joy unspeakable, that grace upon grace and you're saying in your heart, I want to receive that today. I want to know that there is hope for tomorrow. I wanna know that I can walk through the hard times of life and not be alone, that God will be with me. There is an eternal God who loves you with all of his heart, who is beckoning you into his home. His arms are wide open and saying, come on in, I'm ready for you. He already paid the price, hallelujah. Let him take your sorrows and turn them into joy. Hey, thanks for watching this video. If you enjoyed this content and this was a blessing to you, would you help us and hit thumbs up so that it could help more people to discover this video. It cost you nothing, but it can go a long way to help with the algorithm. 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