Suffering to Glory

At times, the circumstances and situations in our lives cause us to suffer. In Romans 8:18, Paul declares he "considers that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." We may have to suffer, for just a little while, to get to and through our purpose. As Paul encourages us all, the glory that will be revealed in us will be well worth the suffering that we have experienced.

Give myself away

As people with a free will, we have our own thoughts, desires, and plans that make up our own will. In Romans 8:5-7, the Bible declares that "those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so." Until we give away our own will; our thoughts, desires, and plans for the will of God in our lives, we cannot fulfill the purpose that He has ordained for our lives.

Set Free

When God calls us for a purpose, He does no consider the evil things that we have done before we accept Him as Savior, or before we accept Him as our Lord. In Romans 8:1-2, the Bible declares "therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death." God's purpose for us has nothing to do with the sin that we have committed. When we accept Christ, as both Lord and Savior, God expects us to carry out our purpose, with no condemnation or guilt from our past sins, because we have been set free from them all.

Strengthened for Destiny

Jesus was praying alone on the Mount of Olives on the night that He would be betrayed. He was struggling as He saw himself dying the brutal death on the cross, but surrendered his own will to the will of His heavenly father. In Luke 22: 43, the Bible declares that "there appeared to Him an angel from heaven, strengthening Him in spirit." The angel appeared to strengthen Christ, but that strength then sustained Him, so that He could continue to fulfill his destiny as our Saviour.

Will Alignment

Jesus had been obedient to His heavenly father's will throughout his life. As He approaches the end of his earthly ministry, He struggles with His destiny of death on the cross. In Luke 22:41-42, the Bible says Jesus was "withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” For the first time, He struggled with his father's will; then He surrenders His own will for His father's will. Thankfully, He chose to die for all of us, instead of living for Himself, his family, and his disciples.

Falling into temptation

On the night that Jesus was betrayed, He went to the Mount of Olives to pray alone, as His humanity was in conflict with His divinity. In Luke 22:40, He instructed his disciples to "Pray that you will not fall into temptation." Some of the temptations the disciples faced may have been to betray Christ, deny that they know Him, or fight try to keep Him from being arrested; the disciples fell into all of these temptations, as they were more focused on their circumstance than Jesus' instruction to pray. The same is true for us today; to avoid falling into the many temptations that we face, we must also pray that we do not fall into it.

Humanity and Divinity

Fulfilling our purpose is often uncomfortable, sometimes devastating, as we must surrender our own will to the will of God. In Luke 22:39, the Bible declares that Jesus "came out and went, as was His habit, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples also followed Him." Jesus was fully divine, but He was also fully human. He knew that He would be betrayed that night, and went to the Mount of Olives to pray Jesus as His humanity is in direct conflict with his divinity.

Prophecy to Destiny

When Jesus walked the Earth, He fulfilled every prophecy that was written about Him as the Messiah. In Luke 22: 37, Jesus said to His disciples "it is written: 'And he was numbered with the transgressors'; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment." He prepares Himself and his disciples for the fulfillment of prophecy concerning his destiny: His death on the cross.

Throw me overboard

When supernatural storms blow into our lives, sometimes we are not cause, but they have been caused by others who are around us. In Jonah 1:11-12, the Bible recalls that "the sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, "What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?" Jonah replied "Pick me up and throw me into the sea, and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you." The same is true for all of us; once the crew members recognized that the storm was caused by Jonah, they threw him off of the ship, and the sea became calm. The same is true for all of us; when the storm is caused by others, pray from them, and throw them overboard.

Get up and Pray

In times of trouble, we often panic then pray, or pray then panic when we do not see immediate results; Jonah did neither. In Jonah 5-6, the Bible recalls that "Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. The captain went to him and said, "How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us, and we will not perish." Jonah was asleep in the bottom of the boat, oblivious to the storm caused by his disobedience. Jonah served the all powerful God, yet he was sound asleep. When you experience a supernatural storm, be wary of those who are sitting idle or asleep while everyone else is praying and working to get through the storm, as they may be the cause of the storm.

Aiding and abetting

Being an accomplice to a crime often carries a similar penalty for the accomplice as the one who committed the crime. In Jonah 1:4-5, the Bible says that "the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep." Jonah was a fugitive from God, and the sailors who were on the ship were his unknowing accomplices, and were subject to the same punishment as Jonah because he was on their ship.

Wrong Way

When driving on the highway, there are bright yellow signs on the entrances and exits that read "Wrong Way." These signs warn drivers that they are about to drive themselves into danger. In Jonah 1:3, the Bible recalls that "Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord." Jonah was given a directive from God to preach in Nineveh, but ran in the opposite direction; he was going the wrong way and headed towards danger. God gave him several opportunities to make a "U-turn," to turn around and head in the right direction; thankfully, He gives us the same opportunities.

Prophet on the Run

God has called each one of us to carry out a specific purpose; the prophet Jonah was called to preach against the wicked city of Nineveh, as the Bible recalls in Jonah 1:1-3, 'because its wickedness has come up before me (God).' But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish." Jonah chose to try to run from God, which is impossible to do, as Proverbs 15:3 declares "the eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good." Just as Jonah was unable to run from God, we must carry out our purpose, or risk facing the consequences.

Musical worship

Music has the power to impact our mood, especially when the musician is a worshipper. In 1 Samuel 16:15-16, the prophet recalls that "Saul's attendants said to him, 'See, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. Let our lord command his servants here to search for someone who can play the harp. He will play when the evil spirit from God comes upon you, and you will feel better." In the midst of worship, it's difficult to be maintain an evil disposition, as our praise and worship to God diminishes that spirit.

High price of disobedience

Saul, the first king of Israel, was anointed and had great favor with God as long as he obeyed the Lord's command. He lost his entire kingdom and God's favor in an act of disobedience. In 1 Samuel 16:14, the prophet recalls "now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him." God specifically instructed him to utterly destroy the Amekelites, but Saul spared the enemy's king and animals that he intended to sacrifice. Even though his intent was noble, his act of disobedience costs him everything, including his relationship with the Lord.

Completing the assignment

Samuel was the Lord's mouthpiece and narrated only what the Lord had given him when he was given an assignment. In 1 Samuel 16:13, Samuel anointed David, in the presence of his brothers, then "Samuel went to Ramah." Samuel was one of the most important prophets in the Old Testament, as he anointed the first two kings of Israel; he was obedient to the Lord until his death, but once he completed his assignment, he went to his home in Ramah to rest until his next assignment.

One king at a time

In all things, God has an appointed time and season. In 1 Samuel 16:13, the prophet recalls "Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed David in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power." Even though David was anointed and chosen by God as the next king of Israel, he could not rule as long as Saul was alive. In our own lives, only one king can rule, and we can only serve one king at a time. As God is the King and everlasting ruler, we would be wise to serve Him alone.

Heart of a king

The psalmist David did not look like a king; he wasn't tall, well-dressed, or rugged like his brothers, as Samuel discovered as he was led by God to anoint the next king of Israel in the house of Jesse. All of his brothers were called before the prophet, looking like kings, but the Lord rejected them all, until David was called in from the fields. In 1 Samuel 16:7, the prophet recalls that "man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."Although David did not look like a king, God had already searched his heart, and determined that he had the heart of a king.

Keep praying

When we pray, we often pray for many reasons and for a wide variety of things as we petition and praise God. In Ephesians 6:18, Paul says to "be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." Continuous prayer is essential to maintaining continued success, deliverance, and victory. After God has answered your prayer, continue to prayer for yourself, family, church, and community.

Battle strategy

Even the best-equipped and trained soldier is less effective in battle without a well-planned strategy and plan for battle. In Ephesians 6:18, Paul says to "pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests." The soldier relies on his superior officer to strategize their plan of battle for the greatest options for victory; the same is true for us as Christian soldiers in God's army and it is key to our continual victory.

Armed and dangerous

A soldier's weapon is of the utmost importance; it is critical to defend himself to fight off his enemies. Without it, the soldier is defenseless and his fate is doomed. The same is true for Christian soldiers. In Ephesians 6:17, Paul says to "take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." When we are being attacked by the enemy, the word of God is our most powerful weapon. We do not need to fight, but will force our enemy to retreat when we stand on God's word.

Put on your helmet

A soldier's helmet is a critical part of their uniform. The helmet protects their skulls from injury from flying objects that they will encounter in battle. In Ephesians 6:17, Paul says to "take the helmet of salvation." As Christian soldiers, our helmet of salvation is equally critical, as our salvation covers and protects us from the enemy's attacks against our minds.