The Truth About Trials

"For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!" 2 Corinthians 4:17 NLT

 

 

One of the things that I dearly love about this passage of scripture is that it gives me hope. It helps me to endure whatever trial I must go through because it's producing something greater than the present trouble or the trial.

 

Produce means to bring forward; to birth; to bear. This means that this trial that I am going through just may be the result of a prayer that I prayed or a declaration that I made about my future.  About who I am in Christ Jesus.  About what I am called to do or be in the Kingdom of God.  It could very well be part of the birthing process; the labor that is bringing forward that thing that was purposed for be before the foundation of the earth.

 

The truth about trials is that they do serve a purpose. So don't feel like something must be wrong with you because trouble seems to always be at your door.  Or because you always seem to be going through a trial. Instead, let's get educated about trials so that we won't fear them, let them hinder us, or let them have the control over us in a negative way. Let's learn how to use them for our good. Let trials do what trials are designed to do in the life of a kingdom person. Produce!!!

 

There are three things about trials that I have discovered in this text that I would like to share with you.

 

1) Truthfully, according to scripture, our trials are just light afflictions. Light meaning that they are trivial, weightless, insignificant and small. Basically, they are an annoyance more than anything else. So don't give it more attention than it deserves.

 

2) According to the writer of this text, (Apostle Paul) says that the trials won't last very long.  In other words, it's seasonal. This coming from one who knows all about trials.  His entire ministry was plagued with trials. (2 Corinthians 1:8-10) But with every trial, God brought him out.

 

3) Finally, the truth is that trials will transform you. When the season changes you will be changed as well. Something permanent will happen in you that took place in a temporary season of your life. A glory will be produced in you that will greatly outweigh the trial and greatly outlast the season.

 

As I close, I want to encourage you to endure the trial.  Keep your eyes on the purpose regardless to how painful it may be.  There is a lasting treasure awaiting you in the end.

 

Pastor Karen

Then He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come! Luke 17:1 NKJV

 

I am about to admit something about myself that I am not too proud of. I do so not for the purpose of telling off on myself but with the hope to help others. I am talking about how to deal with an offense the godly way. I have not truly mastered this even though I thought I was further along.  I used to say that I am not easily offended. And I thought that statement about me was true. Imagine how surprised I was the other day when something did not happen that I wanted to happen. It was something personal. And if the truth be told, it was actually an unrealistic expectation...and I knew it. So why would I be offended? And more importantly, how would I deal with it.

 

Well honestly, I know why I was offended in this particular situation. I keep doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result. Crazy, I know. (I also know that I am not the only one who does this.) But thank God for Holy Spirit. He kept me from acting the way I would normally act when I am offended in this way.

 

In this passage of scripture the word "offense" means stumbling block; the trigger of a trap or snare. Something that would cause another person to sin. AHA!!!! What a spiritual light bulb moment for me!!! Here is an opportunity for me to fall into sin or to rise to victory.

 

After laughing at myself for the split second that I allowed myself to wallow in self pity, I immediately shifted my focus off the offender (who by the way had no idea that I was offended) and began to focus on the real culprit and his intent. The real enemy was the devil; the evil one; the deceiver. His goal was to set a snare and get me entrapped in self pity, anger, and disappointment. Clearly if I would have allowed these feeling to overtake me it would have led to sin. Yes, I would have sinned with my thoughts, my tongue, and my actions.  I would have acted in ways that were unloving and ungodly, producing death in my relationship rather than life. I would have allowed the offense to rob me of my joy and peace in Christ Jesus.

 

The bible teaches us in Ephesians 4:27 to give no place to the devil.  2 Corinthians 2 reminds us that we are not ignorant of the devices of the devil. And John 10:10 further reveals the machinations of the evil one. He comes to steal, kill and destroy. When I saw what would happen if I allowed this offense to cause me to fall into the trap that the enemy had set for me, there was only one thing to do. I told myself to get over it and move on.

 

Dear friends, it is impossible that no offenses should come. Seriously. It is going to happen. Expect it. And don't apologize for being offended. Instead, be prepared to respond godly. The choice is yours. What will you choose?  

 

Pastor Karen Jethroe

 

 



The Year of the Turnaround

 

¹⁸ “But forget all that—
    it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.
¹⁹ For I am about to do something new.
    See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
    I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.  

Isaiah 43:18-19 (NLT) 

 

At the end of 2012 the Holy Spirit delivered a profound word to my heart as he was preparing me for God's plan for my life for the coming year. He told me to plan to change my plans because this would be the year of the turnaround in many areas of my life. At the time, I had no idea what all he was referring to.  And as it is so common with God, he did not show me the whole picture.  He was just asking for my trust and my obedience.

 

Some of you may not realize this but many Christians walk with God more so from habit than from the heart. It's how we live without even thinking about it. And the only time it becomes noticeable is when God begins to do a new thing in our life that requires our participation. You know how it goes. You pray and ask for things to change and when he presents the prescription for the change...hmm. Most times, it never resembles what you are accustomed to. It doesn't look like it or sound like it.  And certainly does not feel like it. This is where trust and obedience will make the pivotal difference. Can you forget all of the past to enter into the new that God has for you?

 

Let me share with you some of the things that Holy Spirit is teaching me so that I can move forward with God's better plan for my life.

1. SOME THINGS WILL NEVER CHANGE - My flesh is always going to be in rebellion against God's will for my life. However, my born again spirit is stronger than the flesh. If I walk in the spirit I will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. (Gal. 5:16) I must keep my eyes fixed on God's word so I won't give in to fear or intimidation or anything that resists God's will for me.
2. THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT I HAVE TO DO SO THAT GOD CAN DO THE THINGS THAT HE PROMISED TO DO - I know I just said a lot there but the fact remains that we cannot continue to think that a prophecy or a spoken word or a desire of our heart is just going to magically happen. No, this is what Holy Spirit spoke to my heart one day when I was in utter frustration over some areas of lack in my life. "You won't see what you decree until you prepare for what you declare." (Proverbs 18:9)
3. EVERYBODY WON'T HAVE THE SAME LIFE BUT EVERYBODY CAN HAVE A VICTORIOUSLY HAPPY LIFE - This was key to me. Everybody is going through something!!! It may not seem like it when you are looking with the natural eye. It may not seem like it when all you can focus on is your own problems. But the ones who you think are not going through anything are the ones who are mature in the faith and have been trained by Holy Spirit on the correct way to respond to trouble, heartaches, disappointments, adversities and temptations. (1Peter 5:8-11) In other words, they have learned how to deal with it in private so they can act right in public.

I don't know about you, but I refuse to be stuck in the past.  I am going to embrace the promise for this to be my year for everything to turnaround in my favor so God's will can be manifested in every area. God has my heart which means I will trust and obey. To God be the glory!

Pastor Karen

Prayer Changes 'Me'

Luke 22:41-44

New King James Version (NKJV)

⁴¹ And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, ⁴² saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” ⁴³ Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. ⁴⁴ And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.<sup>[a


Have you ever been there? In this agonizing place where we see Jesus in this passage of scripture. Facing a situation in life that has brought him to such an emotional place that he has to separate himself from his friends to pray. Have you ever had to leave your friends behind and get alone with God all by yourself because what you are facing is too deep to explain? Too hard to bear? Too scary to talk about? I am talking about the kind of thing that corporate prayer will not do? The kind of thing that literally drives you to your knees? Have you ever been there?

And once you got there...on your knees...and began to pray, have you ever prayed for what you wanted because you did not have the strength, the courage, or the desire to pray for what you knew was the will of God? And then when you stayed there...on your knees...did you feel supernatural help come from on high? The kind of help that gave you the kind of strength that you needed to pray through. And when you got up off your knees you knew that this kind of prayer did not change or remove the situation that you were facing. No, this kind of prayer changed you.

I don't know about you, but I have been in this place many times in my 40+ years of walking with God. I have been in this place with my children, my finances, my ministry, my marriage and myself. And each time it was a time when my flesh had to go to the cross so that God could take me to a new level in life.  It would be a time of separation for elevation.

If you are in this place right now may I encourage you to separate yourself from your friends and get alone with God. If you know where God wants to take you but your flesh is resisting, please get alone with God in prayer and receive the supernatural strength that he will provide to help you make the right choice. Remember this, sometimes prayer changes things and other times prayer will change you.

Pastor Karen</sup>

Getting Through What I Must Go Through

⁴² saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.”  Luke 22:42

No matter how long you have walked with God, He will never allow you to get comfortable in one place for too long. There are stages of development that each of us must go through in order to fulfill the purpose for which we were created. All of us say that we want to walk in destiny. We say that our heart's desire is to be what God created us to be. We say a lot of things in the moment of good times and good feelings and good conditions. But when it is time to test the words that we have spoken, do you find yourself praying these very same words that Jesus prayed...'take this cup away from me'?
Now truth be told, it kind of makes us feel pretty good when we look at our words from that stand point.  We say, "Well, if Jesus asked God to take the cup away from him...then I'm just saying the same thing." But how many of us are saying the same thing but not meaning the same thing? I know too many Christians who just take that part of the prayer that Jesus prayed to justify why they cannot complete the task that has been given them.  Why they will not complete the assignment that leads to their total victory.
I don't have a problem with Christians stating honestly what their will is.  I don't have a problem with Christians being honest about how they feel about hardships, suffering, pain, etc. Hey, it hurts. I know. But if we are going to be about the Father's business then we are going to have to continue saying what Jesus said AFTER he said what he preferred. NEVERTHELESS!!!
Nevertheless (regardless to how I feel about it). Nevertheless not my will, but Yours be done. That's a pretty tough thing to say and mean it. But Jesus meant every word of it. Now I don't believe that his flesh was ever on board. This cry came from his spirit...while he was in prayer ALONE with God.
Let me tell you, it is the ONLY WAY to get through what you must go through on this journey.

When Right Isn't Easy and Easy Isn't Right

The Lord is more pleased when we do what is right and just
    than when we offer him sacrifices. Proverbs 21:3

 

 

 I was thinking today about this trial that I have been walking through for a few weeks now. This is not a trial that I brought on myself.  It is one that God has chosen for me. He gave me directions to do a particular thing that required a great deal of courage. I did not realize just how much courage it would take until after I obeyed him. The opposition that has come from making this decision has caused me to shed tears, question people's loyalty to me, and question my own ability to hear from God. Was this God's plan in the first place?

 

I don't think so.  I think his plan was to see if I would obey him even when it did not make sense. Even when it would generate adversity. I think His plan was to show me how strong I am in certain areas and how weak I am in others. And in the end I believe His plan is to show me that He knows the end from the beginning and it will all work for my good and His purpose.

 

I am learning that doing right (obeying God) isn't always easy and what is easy isn't always right. In hindsight, I would have chosen to offer God a sacrifice of some kind instead of walking down this path. It would have been so much easier. But that was not His design. His design was to give me peace in the place where my understanding is baffled and strength where my flesh is weak.  I have no doubt that there will be glory after this.  In the meantime, I will keep doing what is right and just.

 

 

 

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