Excerpt from an Article By David Wilkerson
October 21, 1996
http://www.tscpulpitseries.org/english/1990s/ts961021.html
World Challenge Pulpit Series
“So it is with the Lord and our afflictions!
Everything you go through as a Christian is a training exercise, behind which God has a divine purpose.
He did not save you to allow you to cruise into paradise on a luxury liner;
he saved you to prepare you to be of use in his kingdom.
The moment you were born again, he enrolled you in his school of suffering.
And every affliction, every trial, is another lesson in the curriculum!”
“Every Affliction We
Suffer Is an Investment
God Is Making in Us!”
As my point of view comes into a bit more focus I am looking at my, sometimes daily, afflictions more and more like High School football or baseball practice.
God’s afflictions are many. And come in different levels of severity.
Example: Much like a freshman defensive back trying to tackle a 250 lb senior running back who was all-state, is the affliction of say, losing a job. It hurts.
Or a nagging affliction…Â
like when God is talking to you and has you stuck on a specific verse or chapter of scripture and you walk around trying to figure it out, is just like a sophomore tailback who knew the playbook last year as a freshman but now has an opportunity for more playing time, he needs to learn the whole play book…
and what ‘Larry 23 Counter’ on 1 on 1, means for him and his tight end. And he needs to learn to listen to the quarterback in case he audibles out of ‘Larry’, and into something else.
My son gave me that play. I was waiting for Curly, Moe and Shemp to get in on the action too!
In the book of James he says, “consider it pure joy… when you face trials of many kinds..”
I have to admit, I’m not quite there yet. But my attention is starting to be drawn to what is really going on and not just the initial drama of the scene unfolding.
I am starting to stop and ask God, “Ok Lord, what is going on here?”
Lord,
You have trained me through poverty, you used it to show me that I do not depend on things,
things are at my disposal as you provide them,
you trained me to not panic when I have nothing, right? Right.
I only need to look up for an answer or a corner bracket!
You trained me to not fear tornadoes, car accidents or getting punched in the face.
There is a difference between a healthy respect of the power of something versus being in fear of it.
You even trained me to not fear death, death is nothing, the thing that scares me is people being utterly separated from you in that Abyss of darkness, it is horrible in there, being separated from you like that.
Thank you for today’s lesson:
‘You need to be prepared to receive a blessing’ regardless if it is spiritual or physical.
God is not going to fill your pigeon trap at the farm if you do not have a coop waiting at home.
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