Ecclesiastes 3 tells us that God works and moves in seasons. God does not move according to man’s timetable. He does not always work in the space of minutes, hours, days, and weeks. The Bible teaches us that the “times and seasons are in God’s hands." God is not bound by time, but reigns above the time and space continuum.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 – “To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:”
There is a time to weep, a time to rejoice, and a time to mourn. We don’t always understand the seasons that we find ourselves in. Note the words in Ecclesiastes 3:1 – “To everything there is a season.” God has a purpose in what comes into the life of the believer. The Bible teaches us in Romans 8:28 – “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
Recently in prayer I had the thought, “What God does is sometimes mingled with pain.” What do I mean by that statement? Often times our victories are bitter sweet. Why? Because we had to fight so hard, or we had to endure so much. Our victories are oftentimes mingled with pain. What most Christians don’t understand is that we are engaged in a spiritual conflict. The moment you are born again you enter into this conflict.
The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Timothy 6:12 – “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” The word fight in the Greek language is the word we use to get “Agonize.” It means to strain every spiritual muscle. When we stand in faith it takes all our spiritual energies. Standing is not inactivity, but is the posture of faith. It takes spiritual energy to stand on the promises of God in faith. That is the reason that the Apostle Paul writes to the church in Galatians 6:9 – “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”
No labor for the Lord is in vain. In this Christian experience you will encounter some fights with the enemy. We are to take a war stance. We are to stay spiritually alert. We are to understand that we have an enemy that seeks our destruction. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians in the first Epistle of Thessalonians 5:6 – “Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.” When you read certain portions of the New Testament they are written to prepare us for battle. This is not just a religious book filled with rules and regulations. It is a battle plan for the believer. It is a soldier’s manual that outlines how we posture ourselves for battle.
I love the Epistles because they were written specifically to the New Testament Church. They address what we are engaged in today. The Apostle Paul writes in 2 Timothy 2:3-5 – “You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” Verse 4 – “No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.” Verse 5 – “And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.”
In Ephesians 6:10 – 18 – “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Verse 11- Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Verse 12 – “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Verse 13 – “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” Verse 14 – “Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,” Verse 15 – “and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;” Verse 16 – “above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.” Verse 17 – “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;” Verse 18 – “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.”
Why is there a conflict? Because Satan gained entry into this earth when he usurped Adam’s authority. The only authority that Satan has is the authority we give to him. Jesus said in Matthew 28:18 – “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, all authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” John 10:10 – “The thief comes to kill, steal and destroy.”
The Apostle Peter writes, “That Satan like a roaring lion – seeking whom He may devour.”
I don’t have all the answers to human suffering. I don’t always know why certain things happen the way that they do, but I do know that the Bible tells us that we must be prepared for the attacks and harassments of the enemy. I have taught my Bible College students something very simple about the promises of God:
1. Everything that God does begins with a promise. Every ministry is born of a promise. Every believer has a prophetic destiny over their lives. The Bible records this promise early in the first pages of the Bible. In Genesis 3:15 – “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” This is the first promise of the Messiah. Even the Messiah’s ministry began with a promise. Promises are wonderful. Mary encountered Gabriel, the messenger angel, and rejoiced at the promise of the baby, but later wondered “where are the angels now.”
2. Every Believer must walk through a process. Before the fulfillment of the promise we must first walk through the process. The enemy comes to war over the word that God gives to us. The enemy comes to contest the word. Psalms 105:18-19 gives the following information about Joseph. “They hurt his feet with fetters, He was laid in irons. Verse 19 - Until the time that his word came to pass, The word of the LORD tested him."
How does God use the process? To bring death to our flesh, to pride, to ambition, and to prepare us for promotion and the fulfillment of the promise. Always remember that the very thing that God uses to promote us will be the very thing that destroys us if we short circuit the process.
One of the most deadly sins is the sin of pride. God uses the process – the battles, the persecutions, the difficulties, and the storms to teach us to totally trust Him. He uses the process to destroy our self-reliance and our own self-sufficiency. To teach us that “Without Him we can do nothing.” Do you want to see the fulfillment of your promise? Then you must not short circuit the process.
The Bible gives a record of great leaders and the processes they had to go through before they received their promotions:
Why does God allow the tears? Why are our victories often mingled with pain? Because the battles we are engaged in are difficult. Matthew 11:12 - “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” God does allow His children to walk through difficult times, but He gives us the grace we need to get through it. Why the battles? Maybe the story of Joseph as recorded in Psalms 105:17 - "He sent a man before them - Joseph - who was sold as a slave."
The battles that we engage in are not in vain. God uses them in our lives to prepare us to minister to others. Don't despair because you are in a place of tears. Just remember that "weeping endures for a night, but joy comes in the morning."
Ecclesiastes 3:1 – “To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:”
There is a time to weep, a time to rejoice, and a time to mourn. We don’t always understand the seasons that we find ourselves in. Note the words in Ecclesiastes 3:1 – “To everything there is a season.” God has a purpose in what comes into the life of the believer. The Bible teaches us in Romans 8:28 – “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
Recently in prayer I had the thought, “What God does is sometimes mingled with pain.” What do I mean by that statement? Often times our victories are bitter sweet. Why? Because we had to fight so hard, or we had to endure so much. Our victories are oftentimes mingled with pain. What most Christians don’t understand is that we are engaged in a spiritual conflict. The moment you are born again you enter into this conflict.
The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Timothy 6:12 – “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” The word fight in the Greek language is the word we use to get “Agonize.” It means to strain every spiritual muscle. When we stand in faith it takes all our spiritual energies. Standing is not inactivity, but is the posture of faith. It takes spiritual energy to stand on the promises of God in faith. That is the reason that the Apostle Paul writes to the church in Galatians 6:9 – “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”
No labor for the Lord is in vain. In this Christian experience you will encounter some fights with the enemy. We are to take a war stance. We are to stay spiritually alert. We are to understand that we have an enemy that seeks our destruction. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians in the first Epistle of Thessalonians 5:6 – “Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.” When you read certain portions of the New Testament they are written to prepare us for battle. This is not just a religious book filled with rules and regulations. It is a battle plan for the believer. It is a soldier’s manual that outlines how we posture ourselves for battle.
I love the Epistles because they were written specifically to the New Testament Church. They address what we are engaged in today. The Apostle Paul writes in 2 Timothy 2:3-5 – “You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” Verse 4 – “No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.” Verse 5 – “And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.”
In Ephesians 6:10 – 18 – “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Verse 11- Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Verse 12 – “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Verse 13 – “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” Verse 14 – “Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,” Verse 15 – “and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;” Verse 16 – “above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.” Verse 17 – “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;” Verse 18 – “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.”
Why is there a conflict? Because Satan gained entry into this earth when he usurped Adam’s authority. The only authority that Satan has is the authority we give to him. Jesus said in Matthew 28:18 – “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, all authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” John 10:10 – “The thief comes to kill, steal and destroy.”
The Apostle Peter writes, “That Satan like a roaring lion – seeking whom He may devour.”
I don’t have all the answers to human suffering. I don’t always know why certain things happen the way that they do, but I do know that the Bible tells us that we must be prepared for the attacks and harassments of the enemy. I have taught my Bible College students something very simple about the promises of God:
1. Everything that God does begins with a promise. Every ministry is born of a promise. Every believer has a prophetic destiny over their lives. The Bible records this promise early in the first pages of the Bible. In Genesis 3:15 – “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” This is the first promise of the Messiah. Even the Messiah’s ministry began with a promise. Promises are wonderful. Mary encountered Gabriel, the messenger angel, and rejoiced at the promise of the baby, but later wondered “where are the angels now.”
2. Every Believer must walk through a process. Before the fulfillment of the promise we must first walk through the process. The enemy comes to war over the word that God gives to us. The enemy comes to contest the word. Psalms 105:18-19 gives the following information about Joseph. “They hurt his feet with fetters, He was laid in irons. Verse 19 - Until the time that his word came to pass, The word of the LORD tested him."
How does God use the process? To bring death to our flesh, to pride, to ambition, and to prepare us for promotion and the fulfillment of the promise. Always remember that the very thing that God uses to promote us will be the very thing that destroys us if we short circuit the process.
One of the most deadly sins is the sin of pride. God uses the process – the battles, the persecutions, the difficulties, and the storms to teach us to totally trust Him. He uses the process to destroy our self-reliance and our own self-sufficiency. To teach us that “Without Him we can do nothing.” Do you want to see the fulfillment of your promise? Then you must not short circuit the process.
The Bible gives a record of great leaders and the processes they had to go through before they received their promotions:
- Joseph – God showed him that he was to rule and reign with Him. But before he got to the throne he was betrayed, beaten, his reputation was ruined and he was imprisoned.
- Moses – God called him to liberate His people from Egyptian bondage – but first he was place on the back side of the desert tending his father-in-law’s sheep.
- Joshua – was prepared for leadership by leading Israel into battle and hanging out on a ledge while Moses spent 40 days and nights in the cloud of God’s glory receiving the Law.
- Daniel – Taken captive and removed from his home and family. Shut up in a den of lions.
The Apostle Paul – His life threatened, stoned, shipwrecked, in peril, imprisoned and falsely accused. - John the Revelator – Exiled to on the Isle of Patmos.
Why does God allow the tears? Why are our victories often mingled with pain? Because the battles we are engaged in are difficult. Matthew 11:12 - “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” God does allow His children to walk through difficult times, but He gives us the grace we need to get through it. Why the battles? Maybe the story of Joseph as recorded in Psalms 105:17 - "He sent a man before them - Joseph - who was sold as a slave."
The battles that we engage in are not in vain. God uses them in our lives to prepare us to minister to others. Don't despair because you are in a place of tears. Just remember that "weeping endures for a night, but joy comes in the morning."
Comments
Thanks
JR